ST MARK’S CAMPANILE

Description

Essentials about St Mark’s Campanile in brief

St. Mark’s Tower (Campanile di San Marco), located directly on Piazza San Marco opposite St. Mark’s Basilica, is the basilica’s bell tower. It is one of the most famous church towers in the world and one of the landmarks of Venice. With a height of 98.6 meters, St. Mark’s Campanile is also the tallest building in the lagoon city. From its top you can enjoy one of the most beautiful views in the world of the whole of Venice and the surrounding islands. The striking St. Mark’s Campanile is the model for numerous church towers in the former dominion of the Republic of Venice on the Adriatic Sea.

The history of St Mark’s Campanile

Already at the end of the 9th or beginning of the 10th century the construction of the tower was started under Doge Pietro Tribuno. The tower was completed under Doge Tribuno Memmo at the end of the 10th century. In 1152 a top made of baked clay was added to the tower. The top floor, with the sound arcades still visible today, was added in 1178 and remodeled again in 1329. The spire was added in 1510 and a statue of the Archangel Gabriel was added in 1517. The wooden statue is covered with gilded copper sheet.

Over the centuries, repeated earthquakes and lightning strikes caused damage to the tower and necessitated extensive restoration work at the end of the 19th century. Finally, on July 1902, one of the greatest disasters in Venetian architectural history occurred: the St. Mark’s Campanile collapsed completely. One of the causes of the collapse was the removal of metal anchors inside the tower for the construction of an elevator. When the tower collapsed, the back of the directly adjacent Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana was also severely affected.

After the collapse, the city of Venice decided to rebuild the Campanile true to the original. Work began as early as 1903 and was completed in 1912. However, one architectural detail was changed during the reconstruction of the tower. Instead of the stepless spiral ramp inside, which Emperor Frederick III and Napoleon rode up on horseback to the belfry, a staircase was installed. To reach the bell floor today, one does not have to walk or ride on horseback – it is now conveniently accessible by elevator.

The view from St Mark’s Campanile

From the observation floor of the St. Mark’s Campanile opens a breathtaking view of Venice. The view is certainly one of the most beautiful and unique in the world. Impressive is not only the panorama of the city itself, but also the view of the Venetian Lagoon with its many islands and the busy shipping traffic. Especially the opposite islands Giudecca and San Giorgio Maggiore with its famous church are well visible from St. Mark’s Campanile.

The bells of St Mark’s Campanile

Very famous are also the five bells of St. Mark’s Campanile. Since they can be heard everywhere in Venice, they originally served not only to call for worship, but each had a specific function in the times of the Republic of Venice. The Marangona was rung for the first call of a meeting of the Great Council and for the beginning and end of a working day, the Renghiera announced an execution, the Nona sounded at noon, the Mezza Terza called the Senators to the Doge’s Palace, and the Trottiera announced the imminent beginning of a meeting of the Great Council. When the Campanile collapsed in 1902, only the largest bell, the Marangona, miraculously remained undamaged. The four other bells were recast at the beginning of the 20th century.