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| The Four Black & White Aquitaine Marble Columns of the Portal of San Pietro - Photo: Cat Bauer |
(Venice, Italy) As you step inside the main entrance, or narthex, of the majestic Basilica of San Marco in Piazza San Marco, you are confronted by a sacred and powerful presence. To the left of the main portal is the portal of San Pietro; the portal of San Clemente is on the right. There are eight free standing columns with shafts of black and white Aquitaine marble that adorn the sides of the portals, two by two. The columns were probably brought to San Marco way back in the first decades of the thirteenth century.
The Proconnesian marble capitals atop the columns date back to the 9th or 10th century, and are embellished with animal and vegetable motifs. Four pairs of eagles, tails crossed, are perched on globes. Snarling from the corners of the capitals are lion heads with wide-open jaws. The remarkable quality and symbolic meaning -- power and domination -- lead to the conclusion that the eight artifacts once belonged to a building in the imperial palace of Constantinople, and were transported to Venice after 1204 when Doge Enrico Dandolo and the Fourth Crusade sacked the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire and divided up the empire. The Venetian Doges adopted the lofty title of Lord of a Quarter and a Half-quarter of All of Romania. When you enter the Basilica of San Marco, you come face to face with remnants of Byzantium.
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| Capitals of the Columns of the Portal of San Pietro - Photo: Cat Bauer |
The lowest point in Venice is at the entrance to Saint Mark's Basilica. When the November 12, 2019 flood pummeled Piazza San Marco, the entire floor of the Basilica was submerged under more than 70cm of corrosive salt water. The construction site where work was being carried out on the four columns of the Portal of San Pietro was immersed by the sea. Then, no sooner had Venice wobbled to her feet after a series of exceptionally high tides, Italy was the first Western country hit by the global pandemic, and the entire country shut down.
Nonetheless, the Procuratoria di San Marco, which takes care of the Basilica, has managed to issue its fourteenth Quaderno, published in Italian by Marsilio, which contains essays by prominent scholars detailing the efforts and research conducted to safeguard and restore the ancient marble columns. It was presented at a conference on December 18, 2020 by Francesco Moraglia, the Patriarch of Venice, and Carlo Alberto Tesserin, the Primo Procuratore of San Marco, who have written introductions. Both men are passionate about safeguarding the Basilica, and Venice itself. For those readers who are fascinated by the restoration work, and read Italian, you can get a copy from Marsilio.
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| Quaderni della Procuratoria |
Thankfully, MOSE, the barrier that holds back the Adriatic Sea during times of extreme acqua alta finally seems to be functioning, but there is much more work that needs to be done to protect the Basilica and Piazza San Marco from high tides. Since the area is so low, this most precious section of Venice still floods when the tide does not reach the level necessary to activate MOSE. Immediate solutions must be found.
On December 1, 2020, Italy assumed the G20 Presidency with international meetings and conferences scheduled in various cities throughout the year. Venice will host a meeting of the G20 finance ministers and central banks from July 7 to July 11, which will feature MOSE and "demonstrate its strategic role in the international context."
As we begin another New Year, I wish good health, joy, prosperity, courage and resilience to all.
Happy New Year from Venezia,
Cat Bauer
As you step inside the main entrance, or narthex, of the majestic Basilica of San Marco in Piazza San Marco, you are confronted by a sacred and powerful presence.
ReplyDeleteYes, thank you for posting the article. Happy New Year to you and yours, until we meet in the beautiful Venice again and hopefully very soon.
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