Only One Day In Venice
Click on any photo for a better view
Venice is a 3--hour train ride from Milan, but it was a wonderful destination. Every corner looked like a scene from a painting (except for one guy with a cell phone who wouldn't get out of our viewfinder).

 

The city, rich already grew very rich indeed from the booty plundered during the Crusaders sack of Constantinople. Yes, Constantinople was a Christian city but, in the words of the writer Jan Morris, the Italians considered them "bumpkin schismatics".

The space between these two pillars on St. Mark's Plaza, on the right, was where public executions took place.
We had a long, beautiful walk from the train station to the Plaza. It was longer than we thought, though, and we were beginning to think that the signs pointing in the direction of the Plaza were only there to guide the tourists to more and more interesting shops. Venice has no street signs. For a couple of people who get lost even with street signs, it was a challenge.

At left, we're under the horses over the entrance to St. Mark's Cathedral. These are actually modern copies. The original horses (plundered from you-know-where) are now in a separate room, safe from the elements. We almost missed the original horses because the sign said "Sala Dei Cavalli Restaurati". Fortunately we decided to find the "restaurant" and found the "restored" horses instead.

 

The Doge's Palace is attached to the Cathedral.
In fact, St. Mark's used to be, primarily, the private place of worship for the Doge and his family.
Two major cathedrals in two days, Milan and Venice. Sometimes the blessings of life are overwhelming.

St, Mark's was clearly a different type, having been influenced by the Byzantine architectural style. (An incongruity, really, since the Roman Church Venetians held the "Greek" Byzantine Church in such disdain.) St. Mark's is not as tall, rounder in form and less prone to "gingerbread". The interior, too, was more in the Eastern tradition, lacking stained glass and including clear traces of Greek-influence in the decor.
Here are some views of the artwork over the doors of St, Mark's Cathedral. The one at left (click the photo for a better view) illustrates the legend that St. Mark's body was stolen from the "heathens" (you can tell them by their turbans). The legend continues that the body was hidden under piles of pork meat so they could smuggle it out of the country and take it to Venice without the cargo being too closely inspected. (Ron wondered how they knew it was really St. Mark's body.)

At left, one of the bells in the tower. Inside the bell itself you can see the impact point of the clapper... the bell tower is still in use.

At right, a view of the city from the bell tower. The original tower collapsed and was rebuilt. Ron observed that with most medieval churches in Europe the question you ask is not if the bell tower collapsed, but when.

The Madonna is more clearly visible in the enhanced image.

 

 

 

At left, the altar of the Nikopoeia Madonna. We knew at a glance that this was a sacred space. After more research, we found that the Madonna image (another "gift" from the Venetian colonies) was the recipient of prayers and offerings before every major battle, including Lepanto, celebrated in Chesterton's poem.  Jan Morris, however, noted that the Madona had not answered her own prayers during the Welsh uprising.

At right, another of the many beautiful churches in Venice. We believe that this is the Church of St. Jerome and St. Lucy. There are dozens of major churches in Venice and most have major artwork in their interiors. All we could do in a one-day visit was promise to return.
   

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