Photo: Beautiful Basilica Venice Italy

The exterior of the beautiful Basilica di San Marco showing the ornate arches and two of the five domes in Venice, Italy.

The beautiful Basilica di San Marco is probably the first place visitors wish to visit when they arrive in Venice, Italy. This lovely landmark of Venice, Italy has a most interesting history. The original church was built around the middle of the 9th century when two Venetian merchants stole the bones of St. Mark from Alexandria in Egypt, came back to Venice and gave them to the Doge. The church was built on top of St. Mark's remains and he was made the patron saint of Venice.

This church burned down in 976 and the present Basilica di San Marco in the Piazza San Marco was begun on the same site in the late 11th century. Fashioned after a church in Constantinople, the Byzantine design is very ornate and was the work of both Italian and Byzantine craftsmen and architects.

The exterior of the Basilica di San Marco in Venice is a medley of domes, arches, balconies and columns with statues, crosses and mosaics. ... continue below the picture...

This picture is part of the photo album "Venice Pictures" - there are more beautiful images waiting for you.

... As there is usually a line-up to enter St. Mark's Basilica in Venice, one has plenty of time to admire the outside of this beautiful place, or there are cafes on the Piazza San Marco to enjoy a coffee and the view of one of the best examples of a Byzantine cathedral in Europe.

Basilica di San Marco in the Piazza San Marco (San Marco Square), Venice, Veneto, Italy, Europe.