Religious and Artistic Sites of Venice

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Religious and Artistic Sites of Venice The masterpieces of four visual artists, Bellini (1430-1516), Titian (1485-1576), Tintoretto (1518-1594), and Tiepolo (1696-1770), dominate the religious and artistic sites found in the island city of Venice. The city is divided into six districts. Each contains historical sites, however, the most notable are located in the districts of San Marco, San Polo, and Dorsoduro that border the Grand Canal. The artistic and religious sites of Venice are appreciated as part of the island?s historical past, as well as infused in its everyday present. One symbol of the importance of art in Venetian life is the lion of Venice. The lion honors the patron saint of Venice, St. Mark. It can be seen in many different poses including a peaceful, playful stance, an impassive guard, a majestic, stately lion, or even a forceful, warlike lion. The lion, like art and religion, reflects the spirit of Venice. San Marco District Saint Mark?s Basilica Since 830 AD, the basilica has housed the bones of St. Mark which were taken from Alexandria, Egypt and given at the Port of Olivolo to the Doge Giustiniano Particiaco. Mosaics in the basilica depict this event as bones being hidden under barrels of pork to keep Muslims away. Mark was patron saint of Alexandria and then became patron saint of Venice. The emblem of the patron saint is the winged lion with a sword and a book with the words Pax Tibi Marce Evangelista Meus, Peace to You, Oh Mark, My Evangelist. The church was built with eastern inspiration with its oriental domes and lustrous mosaics. This is an example of the connection between Venice and Byzantium, which protected Venice from Charlemagne and the Holy Roman Empire. The church contains four thousand sq... ... middle of paper ... ...artistic sites of Venice leave a lasting impression for all who visit. Works Cited Crivellari, Domenico, and Maria Da Villa Urbani, eds. Basilica di San Marco. Procuratoria di San Marco Venezia. 2003. Girard-Sharp, Lisa, et al. Venice. New York: APA Publications, 1999. Openshaw, Gene, and Rick Steves, eds. Venice 2004. California: Avalon Travel, 2003. Peggy Guggenheim Collection. The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, 2003. Pioch, Nicolas. ?Titian.? WebMuseum, Paris. 2002. Pioch, Nicolas. ?Bellini.? WebMuseum, Paris. 2002. Rossi, Gerald. ?Il Tintoretto.? Catholic Encyclopedia. 2003. Steves, Rick. Italy 2002. California: Avalon Travel, 2002.

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