Originally posted on July 1, 2012 by Canicus

San Marcos Cathedral

Today’s target was the inside of San Marcos Cathedral. This Byzantine Church, dedicated to the Evangelist St. Mark, is sometimes called the “Robber Church.” It seems that the city fathers were not impressed with their patron saint and wanted a more prestigious patron. Being rather late to the relics game, they decided to “borrow” one.

There are various traditions regarding St. Mark, to whom the gospel is assigned. It is thought that he was an associate of St. Peter, being the John Mark mentioned in the New Testament who served as Peter’s secretary and translator. The name, John Mark, is interesting because, like many first century Jews he has a Jewish name (John or Yohanathan) and a Latin name (Mark or Marcus). Tradition assigns the “second gospel” (in modern Bibles) to him, although most modern scholars think it is the first of the four, Matthew and Luke borrowing much material and ordering (synopsis) from Mark. Tradition also connects this gospel to Peter through Mark, and in much of that gospel Peter is the primary witness. It is supposed that the gospel was written either shortly before Peters martyrdom in Rome or shortly after in Egypt, where he appears to have gone.

So the remains of Mark were in Alexandria. The Venetian city fathers arranged to have the remains stolen and brought to their city. And they built the cathedral to house his relics. But this is not the only theft. Over the main entrance of the cathedral are four bronze horses which originally were at the hippodrome in Constantinople. The horses over the entrance today are copies, the originals now on display inside the church.

I attended Mass at the Cathedral. There was organ and choral music, although not the elaborate sorts of things that Giovanni Gabrielle wrote with antiphonal organs, brass and choirs at the four ends of the church. Still the acoustics are quite fine for the simple chant which was today’s music.

Photography is not allowed in the church. I did see several people taking pictures, though. Although I did have a camera in my pocket, I refrained from taking pictures lest I be asked to leave and/or have my camera confiscated. But apparently less honorable people got away with it.

The interior of the church is cruciform with all four branches of the cross and the central transept covered with domes. There are essentially three “levels.” The lower level is faced with various types of marble. There are quite a large number of marbles from different sources artistically presented.

The second level consists of galleries all around the cruciform space. The third level would be the domes and an apse dome at the east end. Both of these levels are completely covered with mosaics in which gold is the dominate color. But there are the usual assortment of saints, angels and various religious themes and, of course, Christ. Most of the floors in the nave were covered with a rather cheap looking carpet. Where exposed, the floor reveals geometric mosaics in black and white.

I didn’t take many pictures. One in the gallery is of a three dimensional Jerusalem Cross above one of the domes. Think of a Jerusalem Cross with a second at right angles. The arms are quite thin and each endpoint is finished with a golden (probably real gold) ball.

Canicus Modius