Built 1063-1094 as a repository for St-Mark’s tomb it is Europe’s most exotic cathedral, a blend of Byzantine and Western influences. Over the succeeding centuries it has been embellished with trophies brought back from abroad to demonstrate Venetian power and thus the spiritual might of St. Mark. The bronze doors of the central gate came from Byzantium in the eleventh century, the bronze horses above (click photo button) in the thirteenth century. The phrase ‘To capture the horses of St-Mark’ means ‘to conquer Venice’. Napoleon took this
literally and had them carried to Paris. The golden mosaics on the floors (click photo button), ceilings and walls cover 4000 square meters.
