[V 003 / San Marco] was consecrated in 832 and became a Cathedral in 1807. It was originally built as the [G 09 / doge's] chapel where they took their coronation oaths and some buried within its walls. It was also here that the relics of the state - infinitely important as they were a measure of the state's wealth and power - were kept.
The first church, which followed a Greek cross plan, was not built according to the basilican pattern common in Venice. The Church of the Holy Apostles in Constantinople was used as a model. The five distinct onion domes follow the Islamic tradition. The church burned down in AD976 and although it was rebuilt, this second church was demolished in the early 1000s to make way for the present one. Built between 1063 and 1094, the Greek architect replaced the wooden roof with brick vaulting. This innovation made the ceiling mosaics possible.
The [G 03 / Basilica's] main facade has two parts separated by a balcony with each containing five arches. The bottom arches are supported by marble columns and Gothic ornamentation, such as pinnacles and sculptures, top the ones above. On the lower order are six bas-reliefs, mostly from the 13th century. A mosaic of the Last Judgement is above the central doorway and copies of the famous gilded bronze horses stand on the facade's upper order - the originals are in the Museo Marciano. Fine Gothic sculpture, including a gilded lion of St Mark and a statue of St Mark by Niccolo Lamberti, crowns the facade.
The facade facing the Palazzo Ducale is similar in design to the main facade. The basilica's main doorway once stood here, although it has long since been blocked by the Cappella Zen. This south facade, which features two marble griffins from the 12th and 13th centuries, 14th-century bronze doors, and finely decorated upper arches, is the first to be seen from the waterfront. There is also a Byzantine mosaic of the Madonna in prayer.
The north facade, which faces the Piazzetta dei Leoncini, is thought to be the one finished last. It has some bas-reliefs worth noting, including one of Alexander the Great being taken to heaven by two griffins.
The [P 002 / five onion domes] include the Dome of the Ascension in the middle, the Dome of the Pentecost over the nave, the Dome of St Leonard over the right transept, the Dome of St John over the left transept, and the dome over the Presbytery. All are covered with exquisite mosaics depicting such scenes and saints as the Kiss of Judas, the Crucifixion, the Incredulity of St Thomas, Christ, the Madonna, St Mark, and the prophets.
In the lower part of the church, the Baptistery and the adjoining Cappella Zen lead from the right aisle. The Treasury, which houses the treasures from Constantinople, is off the right transept, as is an entrance to the Palazzo Ducale and one to the Sanctuary, where the fabulous Pala d'Oro glows. The chapels off the left transept include the Chapel of the Madonna of Nicopeia - which houses an icon brought from Constantinople in 1204, the Basilica's most venerated image - the Chapel of St Isidore, and the Chapel of the Madonna dei Mascoli.
