San Marco is a titular basilica in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

dedicated to Saint Mark the Evangelist, located in the small Piazza di San Marco adjoining

Piazza Venezia Piazza Venezia (; "Venice Square") is a central hub of Rome, Italy, in which several thoroughfares intersect, including the Via dei Fori Imperiali and the Via del Corso. It takes its name from the Palazzo Venezia, built by the Venetian Cardinal, ...

. It was first consecrated in 336 by Pope Mark and rebuilt in its present form in 833 by

Pope Gregory IV Pope Gregory IV (; died 25 January 844) was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from October 827 to his death on 25 January 844. His pontificate was notable for the papacy’s attempts to intervene in the quarrels between Emperor L ...

. Today, the basilica is the national church of

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

in Rome.

History

Earlier buildings

According to the ''

Liber pontificalis The ''Liber Pontificalis'' (Latin for 'pontifical book' or ''Book of the Popes'') is a book of biography, biographies of popes from Saint Peter until the 15th century. The original publication of the ''Liber Pontificalis'' stopped with Pope Adr ...

'', Pope Mark established a basilica in a place called ''ad Pallacinas'' in 336. This first church was built atop preexisting, pre-Constantinian structures of unknown date or function, but excavations in the mid-20th century revealed a surviving ancient

Roman mosaic A Roman mosaic is a mosaic made during the Roman period, throughout the Roman Republic and later Empire. Mosaics were used in a variety of private and public buildings, on both floors and walls, though they competed with cheaper frescos for the ...

with acanthus vine-scroll ornamentation underneath the present-day basilica's right aisle. Pope Mark's first church incorporated walls from this earlier structure, and featured a new colonnade, ''opus sectile'' pavements, and frescoed walls, of which a small fragment depicting several horses survives underneath the present-day basilica. The synod of

Pope Symmachus Pope Symmachus (died 19 July 514) was the bishop of Rome from 22 November 498 to his death on 19 July 514. His tenure was marked by a serious schism over who was elected pope by a majority of the Roman clergy. Early life He was born on the Medi ...

in 499 records the church as ''Titulus Marci.'' It is likely that the previous ancient Roman structure was initially a residence owned by Pope Mark, who then gifted the property to a Christian congregation within the first few months of his papacy. Archaeological excavations further revealed burned marble and ash deposits on the pavement, which provide evidence that the first church was likely destroyed in a fire. A second church was built possibly in the second half of the 6th century, but the lack of archaeological evidence and written records make it difficult to properly date. The floor was placed one meter above the first church's floor, possibly to protect the structure against flooding, which was common in medieval Rome. This second church followed the first church's floor plan, only with the addition of a

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the Choir (architecture), choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may termi ...

enclosure that divided the nave and provided space for the

Schola Cantorum The Schola Cantorum de Paris ( being ) is a private conservatory in Paris. It was founded in 1894 by Charles Bordes, Alexandre Guilmant and Vincent d'Indy as a counterbalance to the Paris Conservatoire's emphasis on opera. History The Schol ...

. The ''Liber pontificalis'' notes that

Pope Adrian I Pope Adrian I (; 700 – 25 December 795) was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 1 February 772 until his death on 25 December 795. Descended from a family of the military aristocracy of Rome known as ''domini de via Lata'', h ...

made repairs to the second church's roof and aisles, and provided the basilica with altar cloths, curtains, and seven gold chalices.

Present-day basilica

According to the ''Liber pontificalis'',

saw the ruinous state of the second church and decided to have it demolished in 833 to rebuild the basilica now seen today. The new church's floorplan also aligns with the prior churches, with two aisles flanking a nave that terminates in an apse. The floor consists of large blocks of tufa that were likely part of the

Servian walls The Servian Wall (; ) is an ancient Roman defensive barrier constructed around the city of Rome in the early 4th century BC. The wall was built of volcanic tuff and was up to in height in places, wide at its base, long, and is believed to hav ...

. Gregory IV's unique contributions to this rebuilding was the monumental

apse In architecture, an apse (: apses; from Latin , 'arch, vault'; from Ancient Greek , , 'arch'; sometimes written apsis; : apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical Vault (architecture), vault or semi-dome, also known as an ' ...

mosaic, the annular

crypt A crypt (from Greek κρύπτη (kryptē) ''wikt:crypta#Latin, crypta'' "Burial vault (tomb), vault") is a stone chamber beneath the floor of a church or other building. It typically contains coffins, Sarcophagus, sarcophagi, or Relic, religiou ...

, and the

clerestory A clerestory ( ; , also clearstory, clearstorey, or overstorey; from Old French ''cler estor'') is a high section of wall that contains windows above eye-level. Its purpose is to admit light, fresh air, or both. Historically, a ''clerestory' ...

. The apse mosaic is the best surviving element of the Gregory IV's resconstruction in 833. It depicts

Jesus Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

in the center with Pope Mark, St. Agapetus, and St. Agnes to his left and St. Feliccissimus, Gregory IV, and St. Mark the Evangelist to his right. All seven figures stand against a solid golden backdrop standing atop pedestals with inscriptions identifying the figures. Below the figures, twelve lambs representing the

Twelve Tribes of Israel The Twelve Tribes of Israel ( , ) are described in the Hebrew Bible as being the descendants of Jacob, a Patriarchs (Bible), Hebrew patriarch who was a son of Isaac and thereby a grandson of Abraham. Jacob, later known as Israel (name), Israel, ...

, lead out of

Bethlehem Bethlehem is a city in the West Bank, Palestine, located about south of Jerusalem, and the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate. It had a population of people, as of . The city's economy is strongly linked to Tourism in the State of Palesti ...

and

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

and surround the

Lamb of God Lamb of God (; , ) is a Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, title for Jesus that appears in the Gospel of John. It appears at wikisource:Bible (American Standard)/John#1:29, John 1:29, where John the Baptist sees Jesus and exclaims, " ...

. On the apsidal arch, St. Peter and St. Paul stand beneath the roundels of Christ and the

Four Evangelists In Christian tradition, the Four Evangelists are Matthew the Apostle, Matthew, Mark the Evangelist, Mark, Luke the Evangelist, Luke, and John the Evangelist, John, the authors attributed with the creation of the four canonical Gospel accounts ...

. The

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

dedicatory inscription running along the bottom of the apse mosaic reads:

VASTA THOLI FIRMO SISTVNT FVNDAMINE FVLCHRA / QVAE SALOMONIACO FVLGENT SVB SIDERE RITV / HAEC TIBI PROQVE TVO PERFECIT PRAESVL HONORE / GREGORIS MARCE EXIMIO CVI NOMINE QUARTVS / TV QVOQVE POSCE DEVM VIVENDI TEMPORA LONGA DONET / ET AD CAELI POST FVNVS SIDERA DVCAT.

English translation:

"The huge supports of the apse, which shine like Solomon’s temple beneath the stars, rests on a solid foundation. These things, O Mark, the pope with the distinguished name of Gregory IV has made for you and in your own honor. And you pray that God may grant him a long life on earth and after death lead him to the stars of heaven."

The choice to position Mark the Evangelist in the composition in the place traditionally reserved for St. Peter appears to be an intentional subversion of established apse mosaics depicting groups of saints with the donor pope. Art historian Claudia Bolgia suggests that the translation of Mark's relics from

Alexandria Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...

to St. Mark's Basilica in

in 830–31 had an influence on Pope Gregory IV's decision to depict himself in relationship to this particular evangelist. Furthermore, the inclusion of Sts. Agapetus and Feliccissimus may refer to Gregory IV having recently sent their relics to a Bavarian monastery. Therefore, the apse mosaic evokes the spiritual presence of these saints, despite their relics physically existing outside of Rome and, therefore, the immediate jurisdiction of the

Holy See The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...

. While papal self-representation in apse mosaics was fairly common in the ninth century (i.e.

Pope Paschal I Pope Paschal I (; died 824) was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 25 January 817 to his death in 824. Paschal was a member of an aristocratic Roman family. Before his election to the papacy, he was abbot of St. Stephen's monas ...

Santa Prassede The Basilica of Saint Praxedes (, ), commonly known in Italian as Santa Prassede, is an early medieval titulus (Roman Catholic), titular church and minor basilica located near the papal basilica of Saint Mary Major, on Via di Santa Prassede, Mont ...

and

Santa Cecilia in Trastevere Santa Cecilia in Trastevere is a 5th-century Churches of Rome, church in Rome, Italy, in the Trastevere rioni of Rome, rione. It is dedicated to the Roman martyr Saint Cecilia (early 3rd century AD) and serves as the conventual church for the adja ...

), Pope Gregory IV's inclusion in at San Marco speaks to his desire to establish papal authority in the city. Basilica di San Marco al Campidoglio interno-01

Basilica di San Marco al Campidoglio interno-01

Further changes were made to the church throughout the 12th century, with the addition of a Romanesque

campanile A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell to ...

above the southern end of the nave, sculptural work around the main southern portal, and a new ciborium above the high

altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religion, religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, Church (building), churches, and other places of worship. They are use ...

. From 1465–70,

Pope Paul II Pope Paul II (; ; 23 February 1417 – 26 July 1471), born Pietro Barbo, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 30 August 1464 to his death in 1471. When his maternal uncle became Pope Eugene IV, Barbo switched fr ...

renovated the church's façade according to the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

taste, with a two-storied

portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cu ...

and

loggia In architecture, a loggia ( , usually , ) is a covered exterior Long gallery, gallery or corridor, often on an upper level, sometimes on the ground level of a building. The corridor is open to the elements because its outer wall is only parti ...

, using marbles taken from the

Colosseum The Colosseum ( ; , ultimately from Ancient Greek word "kolossos" meaning a large statue or giant) is an Ellipse, elliptical amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome, Italy, just east of the Roman Forum. It is the largest ancient amphi ...

and the Theater of Marcellus. It was at this time that the church was incorporated into the

Palazzo Venezia The Palazzo Venezia (; "Venice Palace") or Palazzo Barbo, formerly Palazzo di San Marco ("Saint Mark's Palace"), is a large early Renaissance palace in central Rome, Italy, situated to the north of the Capitoline Hill. Today the property of the ...

complex, and the clerestory windows were enlarged and ornamented with Gothic

tracery Tracery is an architectural device by which windows (or screens, panels, and vaults) are divided into sections of various proportions by stone ''bars'' or ''ribs'' of moulding. Most commonly, it refers to the stonework elements that support th ...

, a common feature of

Quattrocento The cultural and artistic events of Italy during the period 1400 to 1499 are collectively referred to as the Quattrocento (, , ) from the Italian word for the number 400, in turn from , which is Italian for the year 1400. The Quattrocento encom ...

Roman architecture. Inside, the wooden ceiling with the emblem of Pope Paul II is one of only two original 15th-century wooden ceilings that can be seen in Rome today (the other being the ceiling at

Santa Maria Maggiore Santa Maria Maggiore (), also known as the Basilica of Saint Mary Major or the Basilica of Saint Mary the Great, is one of the four Basilicas in the Catholic Church#Major and papal basilicas, major papal basilicas and one of the Seven Pilgrim C ...

). In 1564,

Pope Pius IV Pope Pius IV (; 31 March 1499 – 9 December 1565), born Giovanni Angelo Medici, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 25 December 1559 to his death, in December 1565. Born in Milan, his family considered itself a b ...

gave the

Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice, officially the Most Serene Republic of Venice and traditionally known as La Serenissima, was a sovereign state and Maritime republics, maritime republic with its capital in Venice. Founded, according to tradition, in 697 ...

control over most of Palazzo Venezia to use as its embassy, thereby making the basilica the national Venetian church in Rome. Basilica di San Marco al Campidoglio-04

During the early modern period, the church's interior underwent two major redecoration campaigns in the

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

style. From 1654–57, Niccolò Sagredo commissioned

Orazio Torriani Orazio Torriani (or Orazio Torrigiani; 1578–1657) was an Italian architect and sculptor who worked in Rome. He was related to architect Nicola Torriani, but their exact relationship is unknown (either brothers, or father/son). Career In 1602 ...

to redecorate the colonnade with regularized Ionic capitals and white-washed shafts. Then, from 1732–54, Cardinal Angelo Maria Quirini commissioned Filippo Barigioni to redesign the high altar and choir stalls. Paintings and sculptures by Baroque and Neoclassical artists, such as Pier Francesco Mola, Guillame Courtois,

Palma il Giovane Iacopo Negretti (1548/50 – 14 October 1628), best known as Jacopo or Giacomo Palma il Giovane or simply Palma Giovane ('Young Palma'), was an Italian painter from Venice and a notable exponent of the Venetian school. After Tintoretto's death ...

, Luigi Primo,

Carlo Maratta Carlo Maratta or Maratti (18 May 162515 December 1713) was an Italian Baroque painter and Drawing, draughtsman, active principallly in Rome where he was the leading painter in the second half of the 17th century. He was a fresco and canvas painte ...

, Cosimo Fancelli, and

Antonio Canova Antonio Canova (; 1 November 1757 – 13 October 1822) was an Italians, Italian Neoclassical sculpture, Neoclassical sculptor, famous for his marble sculptures. Often regarded as the greatest of the Neoclassical artists,. his sculpture was ins ...

can be found in throughout the nave of the present-day church. In 1843, Gregory IV's annular crypt, which had been closed in 1474 under Cardinal Marco Barbo, was rediscovered. Excavations in 1947–50 revealed the foundations and remnants of the earlier churchs, as well as a large cypress chest in the crypt that contained the relics of Pope Mark, St. Abdon and St. Sennen.

Cardinal priests

References

External links

Basilica of San Marco Evangelista at the Campidoglio
''Turismo Roma''. Accessed April 8, 2025. (In English) {{DEFAULTSORT:Rome, Saint Mark Titular churches

Saint Mark Mark the Evangelist ( Koinē Greek: Μᾶρκος, romanized: ''Mârkos''), also known as John Mark ( Koinē Greek: Ἰωάννης Μᾶρκος, romanized: ''Iōánnēs Mârkos;'' Aramaic'': ܝܘܚܢܢ, romanized: Yōḥannān'') or Saint Ma ...

336 establishments 4th-century churches Burial places of popes

4th-century establishments in Italy