A GOLDEN GLORY

Enjoy an exclusive evening tour of St. Mark’s Basilica. Our special reservation guarantees VIP access, allowing privileged visitors to relish the dazzling array of marvels on display after doors have closed to the public.

Located at the eastern end of Piazza San Marco, adjacent to the Palazzo Ducale, St. Mark’s Basilica was originally the doges’ personal place of worship. It was not until 1807, when it became the seat of the Patriarch of Venice, that this private chapel was converted into the city’s cathedral. You will have the once-in-a-life-time opportunity to admire the church’s splendidly decorated interior, with its marble inlays, finely carved capitals and glittering golden mosaics, like Venetian doges did centuries ago – in comfort and privacy. Accompanied by your private guide, you will learn about the origins of this one-thousand-year-old Gothic-Byzantine marvel and uncover the secrets, dramas and treasures nestled within these hallowed walls. You will dip into the history of the doges, hear stories of thefts, fires and conquests. No one can fail to be intrigued by the glorious feats and legends that surround the protagonists of what was once one of the Mediterranean’s most powerful maritime empires.

You may not know that the origins of the Basilica are closely linked to a theft. In 828 two Venetian merchants stole the remains of St. Mark the Evangelist from his supposed resting place in Alexandria. They hid the saint’s body in a barrel full of pork to avoid Muslim inspections and brought them to Venice by ship, miraculously surviving a storm. Here the relics of St. Mark were welcomed triumphantly and the Doge requested a chapel to be built in the saint’s honour.

Burnt in 976 and rebuilt in 1071, the basilica has retained, almost unaltered, its original layout and structure. The decoration, however, has changed greatly over the centuries increasing in opulence and grandiosity. Your guide will lead you past the church’s main attractions, including the elaborate facade, with its tangled succession of arches, columns, reliefs and pinnacles; the golden altarpiece, studded with more than one thousand precious stones; the intricately-patterned marble and mosaic flooring; hundreds of Byzantine capitals and columns.

The sight of the glimmering mosaics, covering 8,000 square metres of vaults and domes and representing scenes from the Old and New Testament, is the highlight of your tour. As you stand at the heart of Christian Venice gazing up at the golden ceiling, you will be amazed by the exquisite craftsmanship and artistry of this precious sparkling Bible, conceived as a materialization of the Divine Light. The peace and silence of the evening will contribute to making this experience a truly memorable one.