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San Marco - Monday, Third Week of Lent



A detailed view of the golden 9th-century apse mosaic in the Basilica di San Marco in Rome . The central figure of Christ, dressed in a dark robe and holding an open book, stands upon a platform marked with the Alpha and Omega . To the far left, Pope Gregory IV is depicted with a blue square halo—indicating he was alive at the time—offering a model of the church to Christ . He is accompanied by Saint Mark the Evangelist and Saint Felicissimus . To the right of Christ stand Pope Saint Mark, Saint Agapitus, and Saint Agnes . At the base of the scene, twelve lambs representing the Apostles process from the cities of Jerusalem and Bethlehem toward the central Lamb of God . The top of the arch is adorned with the symbols of the four Evangelists in circular medallions .

San Marco is among he oldest churches in Rome, and you may be surprised to hear that you have passed by it. If you have stood at the Wedding Cake and looked out at the Piazza Venezia, you have seen this church - without even noticing it! It shares a wall with the Palazzo Venezia, the headquarters of Mussolini's government, and faces the Wedding Cake Monument. The Piazza Venezia and the open space in front of the church of San Marco create a large open space together in the center of Rome.


The Piazza Venezia is so named because it was a name when the palace along the side was the embassy for the Republic of Venice. This connection to Venice is related to the church of San Marco, for Saint Mark is the patron saint of Venice, and his remains are to be found in the Basilica of San Marco in the heart of Venice. The today is the national church of Venice in Rome, which means that it serves the needs of the Venetian community in particular.


The Basilica di San Marco church was founded in 336 by Pope Mark. Saint Mark the evangelist, author of the Gospel of St. Mark is said to have stayed at this spot when traveling through Rome, and the basilica commemorates his visit.


A direct view of the church's unique facade, consisting of two levels of three travertine arches supported by engaged Corinthian columns. The portico, which shares a wall with the Palazzo Venezia, creates a transition into the three-aisled basilica and is partially obscured by trees in the foreground, reflecting its "hidden" nature in the busy piazza.

You can be forgiven for missing the Chiesa di San Marco. The trees in the piazza out front, while providing welcome shade in the summer, block the entrance to the church. However, even if the trees were not there, there is only a small sign on the front designating the church. There is no visible facade, but only three arches topped by three equal-sized arches. In Rome, arches are plentiful, and do not single this building out as a church.


These Renaissance arches, made of local travertine marble with their engaged Corinthian Columns create a portico before the entrance proper to the church. In this way, they function somewhat as a facade. In Italian church architecture, the purpose of the facade of a church is to prepare the visitor for what appears inside the church. Here, in San Marco, the three arches prepare the visitor for the three aisles of the basilica beyond.


The interior of the church is beautiful. As is often the case with older churches, such as we saw with San Vitale, the floor level is lower than the current level of the city. This church has been regularly updated, and the interior expresses the opulence of a Baroque church. Peeking through the older refinements, let's consider a couple of things about the interior.

Look up and notice the coffered wooden ceiling. It seems to float on those windows that line this upper story. The ceiling dates from the mid-1400s, placing it squarely in the Renaissance.


A long shot from the entrance looking toward the high altar, showcasing the rich Baroque ornamentation and the colorful, patterned marble floor. The view emphasizes the three-aisled basilica layout, with rows of red marble columns leading the eye to the sanctuary and the golden apse mosaic in the distance. Above, the deeply coffered wooden ceiling from the mid-1400s appears to float over the clerestory windows, illustrating the Renaissance-era refinements of this ancient church.

Moving further down the nave, look at the beautiful mosaic in the apse. Pope Gregory, responsible for much of the restoration and rebuilding in the 800s, presents a model of the church in the presence of St. Mark the Evangelist, and in the mosaic, the pope bears a square halo, used so often to show that he was alive when the mosaic was completed.


A vibrant close-up of the golden apse mosaic, showcasing the late antique Byzantine style commissioned by Pope Gregory IV. At the center, Christ stands on a platform marked with the Greek letters Alpha and Omega, holding an open book. To his left, Pope Gregory IV is depicted with a blue square halo—indicating he was alive at the time of the mosaic’s creation—as he offers a model of the church to Christ. The figures are flanked by Saint Mark the Evangelist and other saints, all helpfully labeled with Latin inscriptions. Along the base of the golden field, a procession of twelve lambs moves toward the central Lamb of God, symbolizing the Apostles.

In a curious bit of history - that has no explanation whatsoever - this basilica holds the marble epitaph or grave marker of Vanozza dei Cattanei. You may not recognize the name, but you have likely hard of the family. (Showtime created a whole series on the family!) Vanozza is the mother of the Borgia children whose father is Rodrigo de Borgia, also known as Pope Alexander VI. The two of them had four children, Cesare, Giovanni, Lucrezia, and Goffredo, and history (with reason) knows them more for their cruelty than any other accomplishments. How or why her marker came here from the church where she is buried in Piazza del Popolo is unknown. It is simply a curious tidbit of history.


The Basilica di San Marco is a curious church hidden in the busiest piazza in the center of Rome!

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P.S. Ever get confused by the inscriptions you see in Rome?


I created a free, 1-page "5-Minute Decoder" that unlocks 90% of the phrases you'll see on monuments. It's the perfect tool to go from a tourist to an insider.






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