It is not in mere size a very large church ; but it is so vast, in the sense of being varied and complex, that it can only be grasped in full after long study. I advise you, therefore, to begin by walking round and through the building, in order to obtain a comprehensive idea of the architectural ground plan, both from without and within, before you proceed to the examination in detail.
In general shape, as shown in the annexed rough diagram, the church is a Greek Cross, of four equal arms, duly oriented; that is to say, with its façade to the West, and its High Altar and Presbytery at the East End. Carefully bear in mind this fact of its orientation ; it will save you much trouble.
In addition, however, to the real or inner church, which has thus the shape of a cross with four equal arms, the West Arm is girt on its three outer sides by an Atrium or Vestibule, which reaches only to the height of the first floor or Gallery. This Atrium is open in its Western and Northern branches, and, like the church itself, is gorgeously decorated throughout with mosaics. The Southern branch of the Atrium, on the other hand, has been enclosed, in order to form the Baptistery and the Cappella Zen. This outer Vestibule, with the parts cut off from it, is shown in the diagram by a thinner line. Recollect that the lower part of the façade, on all three of its exposed sides, is formed entirely by this outer or vestibular portion ; the upper façade, on the contrary, belongs to the Greek Cross, or true church of the interior. Hats may be worn in the Vestibule.
Above the Atrium, and around the whole western arm of the inner church, runs an outer gallery. On this gallery, over the Main Portal of the outer and lower façade, stand four magnificent antique * Bronze Horses, forming a quadriga, or team of four, for a chariot. These horses are so important in fixing the date of various portions of the church, that I will briefly describe them here. They make the only known remaining example of an ancient quadriga, and opinions differ as to their date and origin. They are believed by some antiquaries to be Greek works of the school of Lysippus, but others hold that they are of Roman origin. It is almost certain that they once adorned the triumphal arch of Nero, whence they were transferred to that of Trajan and other subsequent emperors. When Constantine founded Constantinople, he took them there to adorn the Hippodrome of his New Rome. In 1204, Doge Enrico Dandolo conquered Constantinople, and the Podestà Zen sent these trophies to Venice, where they were set up on the Ducal Chapel in the place where you now see them. This date of 1204 is very important for the identification of the period of certain mosaics. The horses remained where Dandolo set them up till 1797, when Napoleon, having extinguished the Republic, took them to Paris, and employed them to decor-ate the summit of the triumphal arch he had erected in the Place du Carrousel. In 1815, however, on the final establishment of the European peace, the Emperor Francis I. of Austria, to whom Venetia was assigned, restored them to St. Mark’s. They are noble specimens of ancient sculpture, though defectively cast, portions having been hammered in to conceal the imperfections. They should be carefully examined, from above and from below, by those who are interested in antique sculpture. An ugly inscription on the main archivolt of the central door beneath records, not their early history, but the trivial fact of their restitution by the Austrians.
The inner or true church itself consists of four nearly equal Arms and a rectangular Central Portion. Over each Arm, and also over the Central Portion, stands a Dome, of which there are thus five in all, without counting the minor cupolas. I strongly advise you to enter the church on your first day in- Venice, and spend one afternoon in looking about it, so as to form general impressions, before you set out upon your detailed examination. The following brief notes may assist you in shaping these impressions.
The West Arm consists of a Nave and Aisles, the 