Best Cathedral Tour Venice Near Me

4worldlovers: In characteristic Venetian-Byzantine style this cathedral, so bare on the outside, hides golden mosaics and prestigious marble on the inside. It was built in 639 following the transfer of the episcopal seat of Altino to Torcello. In 1008 the cathedral was enlarged and given the name of Santa Maria Assunta.

Inside the Basilica of Torcello you can admire one of the most important mosaic cycles in Northern Italy. Among them it is particularly worth mentioning the Last Judgment, an exciting visual story that makes you reflect on the meaning of life after death.

Through the mosaics you can feel the strong link with the East, as transpires also thanks to the precious iconostasis (icon paintings) that divides and separates the presbytery from the rest of the church.

Admire the beauty of the mosaics in the main apse with the Virgin Hodegetria and, below, the series of Apostles. Climb up the steps of the presbytery and approach the main altar: it contains the remains of Saint Eliodoro, the first bishop of Altino. Admire the fifteenth-century iconostasis and the ambon made up of ancient marbles worked in different eras.

Before leaving, stop in front of the majestic mosaic with the Last Judgment of the XII - XIII century: it looks like an immense page of a comic magazine that explains and tells you, from top to bottom, the story of the return of Christ at the end of time, when he defeats death and breaks the gates of hell, calling the righteous to himself.

In the Last Judgment, Hell is made up of seven squares that correspond to its seven circles. Can you make out the sins represented based on the punishment they have to endure? Let us help you: in the larger box there are those punished for excessive pride, and below, from left to right, the lustful, the gluttonous, the angry, the envious, the greedy and finally the slothful ('the lazy').

4worldlovers: My 2 adult children and I took this tour, as our time was limited, and boy did it deliver! Excellent overview of Venice, all the highlights! A lot of walking, but a gondola ride and lunch break in the middle makes it work. And got to see and hear about areas in the city that we wouldn’t ordinarily have been able to see.

We thoroughly enjoyed Carolyn’s Yummy Cooking class. It was a delight for all of us, my husband, 2 teens and me! Not only did we learn about Italian cooking, but Carolyn gave us many insights to living and working in Venice

4worldlovers:
Steeped in history, the Medieval Church di Santa Chiara is one of the most ancient structures on the Island of Murano whose halls have previously hosted everyone from simple nuns to exalted Doges and even Casanova. Recently restored and reopened to the public, The Glass Cathedral - Santa Chiara now offers the ideal balance of ambiance, entertainment and comfort perfect for masquerade balls, corporate events, private parties and all of your events in Venice.

4worldlovers: Architecture Mosaics Sculpture The Treasure and the Pala d'Oro St. Mark's Museum The campanile The Musical Tradition Essential chronology

The campanile of St. Mark’s is an imposing square plan tower about 99 metres high, crowned by a spire that was once a lighthouse for shipping. It is the prototype of all the campaniles of the lagoon area. It was first built in the 12th century on the site of what was probably a watchtower and rebuilt in its current form early in the 16th centurywith the addition of a belfry and with the spire faced in copper and topped by a sort of rotating platform with a statue of the Archangel Gabriel which functioned as a weathercock.

Of the five original bells only the largest remains. The others, now replaced, were destroyed when the tower collapsed in 1902. From the belfry loggia there is a spectacular bird’s eye view of the city and the lagoon.

Against the base of the campanile is the balcony built by Jacopo Sansovino between 1537 and 1549 and decorated with marbles and bronzes .

Begun on pre-existing Roman foundations in the 9th century and rebuilt several times between the 12th and 14th centuries, the campanile took on its definitive appearance, after much restoration and reworking, between 1511 and 1514.

It consists of a solid square brickwork frame with lesenes, 12 metres wide and 49.5 metres high (half its full height of 98.6 metres), and the arched belfry on which a large dado stands that serves as a base for the pyramidal spire topped by the golden angel.

Simple, of Roman concept in its severe harmony of line and proportions, the tower with the shining golden angel set on a rotating platform at the top has always been the first sight of Venice for those arriving by sea,. Struck several times by lightning and by earthquakes it continued its centuries-old life until the beginning of the 20th century.

On 14th July 1902 the campanile suddenly collapsed as a result of imprudent constructional work. The damage was not irreparable: the “proclamation stone” at the corner of the church prevented collapse of the corner column, thus saving the church. The Balcony however was buried under the rubble.

News of the collapse spread throughout the world and the Municipal Administration resolved that the Campanile should be rebuilt exactly as it had been.

The first stone was laid on 25th April 1903 and nine years later, in 1912, on St. Mark’s day, the new campanile was inaugurated. Externally the building was a faithful copy but was built, for greater safety and static stability, in accordance with the more rigorous laws on construction technique. Certain destroyed parts were reintegrated: on two sides of the dado above the belfry, alternated with the Justices, the two moving Lions in Istria stone replaced those sculpted at the time of the fall of the Republic, and the embossed copper statue of the Archangel Gabriel that topped the tower was recomposed with the original fragments and almost entirely redone, copying the old 1822 model.