Tuesday 6 October

10 AM PST
1 PM EST
6 PM BST
7 PM CEST

With Dr. Eireann Marshall

Napoleon’s description of St Mark’s Square as the drawing-room of Europe has passed into legend. However, it fails to do justice to the grandeur of this monumental space, with its magnificent collection of buildings of different ages and architectural styles, all testifying to Venetian pre-eminence in matters religious, administrative and cultural. This tour will explore the history and meaning of each building, from the Byzantine splendour of Venice’s most important church to the gothic intricacy of its seat of government, the Doge’s Palace, and the classical serenity of its great Renaissance library, the Biblioteca Marciana. We will also study the ornamental treasures carefully placed in key positions in the square, such as the two columns in the Piazzetta topped with their symbolic statues of the city’s patron saints, and the mysterious porphyry figures of the Tetrarchs, suggesting a line of continuity from the Roman Empire to the dominion of the Most Serene Republic.