The Venetian Cult of San Marco.

St Mark is well known in the Christian religion as being one of the four evangelists (authors of the four gospels). He was also one of the apostles, one of the original twelve disciples, and a martyr. He also acted as a missionary, traveling with St Barnabas and St Paul on many religious missions during which he founded the Coptic Orthodox Church of St Alexandria, Egypt as well as other churches and the first Christian School. He then died in 68 AD, Alexandria, Egypt, during a time where Pagans were capturing and persecuting Christians, and reportedly saw visions of angels and heard Jesus's voice before he died.

Around 828 AD, some relics of St Mark were stolen by merchants from Alexandria and taken to Venice. The story begins with a group of Venetian merchants, including Buono da Malamocco and Rustico da Torcello, arriving at Alexandria. The merchants discover from Brother Staurazio and Father Theodore that the shrine and the church were in danger of being destroyed by the Khalif of Alexandria. Buono and Rustico then persuade the custodians of the sanctuary to swap the body of St Mark with that of St Claudia which was nearby. The merchants then take the relics onto their ship and disguise them under pork and lettuce. On the way back home, the sleepy sailors are said to experience many miracles including an apparition of the saint saving them from shipwreck and the saving of a skeptic in the city of Umago in Istria from a demon. The relics were then received in the Port of Olivolo by the local bishop and the Doge Gustiniano Particiaco which were placed in the Ducal palace until the Basilica was built.

The Stealing of St Mark's body, Chapel of St Clement, Basilica di San Marco

St Mark saving the merchants from a storm. Facade, Basilica di San Marco

Disguising the Body of St Mark

Many believe this story of how St Mark came to Venice to be a myth, the only account of it being written in the Translatio, a document that has unclear development but dates to 1050 AD.

Throughout Venice, one comes across many examples of symbolism dedicated to St Mark. By reflecting on a recent trip to Venice, this post will attempt to uncover why St Mark was so popular in Venice through the cult and legacy that San Marco left behind.

In Venice there is also frequent statues and sculptures of a lion holding a book with wings, sometimes with a halo. Known as the Venetian Lion, or St Mark's Lion, this serves as a symbol of St Mark. According to a 2nd-century tradition, each of the evangelists is represented by a winged creature: lion, bull, eagle and a human. A lion symbolises magnificence, power, and strength. The wings identify the spiritual elevation towards God and the halo as the symbol of piety and sanctity with which Mark apostle was honoured. The lion is also chosen because one of St Mark's miracles tells of him and his father, Aristopolus, walking along the River Jordan and being approached by two hungry lions. Mark then proceeded to pray to God to spare the lives of himself and his father and the lions fell down dead.

The lions around the city all seem to be holding open, the book, or the gospels symbolising wisdom and peace. Inside is written the words 'Pax tibi Marce, evangelista meus, hic requiescat corpus tuum'; 'Peace to you, Mark my Evangelist, here may your body rest.' On a journey from Aquileia to Rome, Mark stopped for a break in Venice where an angel said these words to him. Below are some pictures of some of the many lions that I found around the city.

The first lion is found standing on top of a column in St Mark's Square. Like many statues in squares around the globe, this serves as a useful landmark to let people know where they are, but also as a reminder of past history. The second lion was found in the Museum Correr, a civic museum that is also found in St Mark's Square. You will also notice that this lion is holding a sword. Besides being the power of the Evangelist word, the sword is the icon of equity and justice. What is important to note is that the Serenissima did not codify any symbol. Historical sources do not support populist interpretations of the lion, but some have said that the position of the book and the sword are significant in knowing whether the city was in a time of peace or war. For instance, the third lion on the flag, shows the lion standing on a closed book grasping a sword which is a symbol of war. In regards to the link that St Mark has to Venice however, what is most significant about the lion is where these sculptures or images are found. The fourth picture, for example, shows St Mark's lion placed on the roof of the Basilica di San Marco. Not only does the position of the lion tell people what building it is, but the fact that it is gold, also tells us that this building is of particular importance to St Mark. Another example of a good use of symbolism, is the lion on the 15th century Porta della Carta, an entrance gate between the Basilica and the Doge's Palace. This hints of St Mark being the Patron saint of lawyers as the Doge's palace was the place where many judiciary actions were carried out and included a prison.

To look more closely at why St Mark is so popular in Venice, one has to look in detail at the Basilica. The 8000 square meters of mosaic, made during the Byzantine period, represent stories from the bible along with allegorical figures, the holy family, St Mark and other saints. Mosaics devoted to St Mark can be found in the two chancels, the west wall of the south transept, the vault of the Zen chapel and the facade.

Built around 1250 AD, the two mosaics in the south transept on the west wall, recalls the prayer on the discovery of the bones of St Mark in 828 AD, and their rediscovery in 1094 AD.

The Zen chapel serves as a vault for a cycle of mosaics devoted to telling key life events of St Mark, such as him traveling to Alexandria, and his martyrdom.

In terms of the cult of St Mark, many scholars such as Bershad and Mangone have argued that the bringing of St Mark to the city by merchants brought a union between the spiritual and political realms. The cult was also built around two other legends. The praedestinato and the inventio. The praedestinato ascertains that Venice was meant to govern itself. The Inventio is the apparition of St Mark in 976 AD, where the church housing the relics burnt, and the relics were lost until 1094. The doge then ordered a fast, where during a high mass another miracle happened. St Mark appeared as a ghost and filled the church with a sweet aroma. It symbolised the end of Byzantine power over Venice and asserted St Mark as the true patron saint of Venice.

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