Inside St Mark's Basilica
Outside in and bottom to top: the Tetrarchs, the façade, the Genesis atrium, the great golden domes, St Mark's tomb, the Pala d'Oro, the Treasury and the museum of the horses.
Route map
Route stops
- 1The Tetrarchs
4th-c. porphyry group of the Tetrarchs set into the Treasury corner on the south façade.
- 2Main Façade
Façade with five portals, mosaics of the translation of St Mark's body and a Gothic crowning.
- 3Narthex and Creation Dome
Atrium with Old Testament mosaics such as the Creation Dome; home to the basilica's oldest mosaics.
- 4Dome of Pentecost
12th-c. dome over the nave: the Holy Spirit's rays descend on the seated Apostles.
- 5Marble Floor
11th-12th-c. opus sectile floor with geometric patterns and symbolic animals in coloured marble.
- 6Dome of the Ascension
Late-12th-c. central dome with Christ ascending amid the Virgin and the Twelve Apostles.
- 7Chapel of St Isidore
Chapel built 1348-55 by Doge Andrea Dandolo for the relics of St Isidore of Chios.
- 8Mascoli Chapel
Chapel dedicated in 1430 under Doge Francesco Foscari, later used by the Mascoli confraternity.
- 9Altar of the Madonna Nicopeia
North-transept altar with the Byzantine Nicopeia icon, once Venice's palladium.
- 10Rood Screen (Iconostasis)
Gothic rood screen (1394) with a crucifix and statues of the Virgin, St Mark and the Apostles.
- 11Dome of the Prophets and Apse Pantocrator
Christ Pantocrator mosaic in the apse semi-dome, above Venice's protector saints.
- 12High Altar and Tomb of St Mark
High altar holding St Mark's relics since 1835, under a ciborium on four carved columns.
- 13Pala d'Oro
Byzantine goldwork altarpiece with enamels and gemstones, one of Europe's most valuable treasures.
- 14Treasury of St Mark's
Rooms between the basilica and Doge's Palace with Byzantine goldwork from the 1204 sack and 110 reliquaries.
- 15St Mark's Museum
Houses the original Horses of St. Mark and access to the balcony overlooking the square.
