San Marco (Sestiere of Venice)

San Marco is one of the six sestieri of Venice of which it constitutes the heart since the foundation of Sérénissime.

Geography

On all its north-eastern limit, is and southern, the sestiere of San Marco is bordered of the Grand Channel and the Basin of San Marco. It is bordering on the sestiere of Cannaregio on a short distance along the channel Fontego dei Tedeschi, then sestiere of Castello to the crossing of this last channel with the channel of Fava. The limit then follows this channel towards the south before obliquing towards south-east (Channel of San Zulian and Canal of Palazzo) to pass between the Palais of the Doges and the Prison of Leads under the Pont of the Sighs.

It also includes/understands the island of San Giorgio Maggiore.

History

In the middle of Sérénissime, the sestiere of San Marco is born initially close to the Rialto before the political and legal center is not installed on the homonymous place. During several centuries, Venice is named Rivoalto Civitas, by reference to Rialto and the first name of the sestiere is actually Rivoalto.

The Place Saint Marc is born around the first two churches from the zone. The church of San Geminiano, destroyed by Napoleon in 1807 to join together both procuraties by the building which will take the name of Napoleonean Wing later. The name of San Marco has come from the skin of the saint installed in the basilica for 828, year when the fishermen Bon da Malamocco and Rustego da Torcello concealed it with Alexandria.

Venice, at the dawn of its history, was disputed between the Patriarchate of Aquilée and that of Grado. This fight had as a consequence the continual change of protective saint for the city lagunaire, each of the two cities while holding for its saint, Marc or Theodore. The two statues of the saints at the top of the columns of Piazetta San Marco testify to this argument.

Churches and Monuments

San Marco is initially the seat of famous the Basilique of the same name, but has also very beautiful Santo Stefano and San Moisè. One also finds San Salvador, San Bartolomeo, San Zulian, San Luca, San Beneto, San Fantin, Santa Maria del Giglio (Holy Marie of the Lily). On the other side of the Basin of Marc Saint, floats the sublissime white frontage of San Giorgio Maggiore and its bell-tower.

The principal monument of the sestiere is the Palais of the Doges (his appendix " carcérale" being in the contiguous sestiere of Castello) as well as the monumental whole of the Place Saint Marc with the Tower of the Clock, the Bell-tower, Procuraties and the Napoleonean wing, which lodge the Correr museum and the Biblioteca Marciana or Sansoviniana. Among the many palates, one will quote the Palates Loredan, Grimani, Corner Spinelli, Mocenigo, Grassi, which lodge the collection François Pinault, Corner della Ca' Grande, Gritti, Contarini-Fasàn, Tiepolo, and Giustinian, all along the Grand Channel, of Rialto with Saint Marc.

It is still in the sestiere of San Marco that are the staircase of the Bovolo and the Theater of Fenice.

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