Other names | Banner of St. Mark, Standard of St. Mark |
---|---|
Proportion | 1:2 |
Relinquished | 1797 |
Design | A gold Lion of St. Mark on a field of dark red accompanied by six sestiere on the fly |
The Flag of the Republic of Venice, commonly known as the Banner or Standard of Saint Mark (stendardo di San Marco), was the symbol of the Republic of Venice, until its dissolution in 1797.
Its main charge was the Lion of Saint Mark, symbolizing Mark the Evangelist, the patron saint of Venice. [1] A distinguishing feature of the flag is its six fringes, which were added to represent the original six sestiere of Venice. The fringes also serve to prevent damage being caused to the central section of the flag by wind. [2]
During times of peace, the Lion of Saint Mark was depicted alongside an open book. However, when the Republic was at war the Bible was replaced with the lion grasping an upright sword. [1] During the corteo dogale (lit. 'procession of the doges '), four banners of Saint Mark with different background colours, white, purple, blue, and red, were carried, with the one in front representing the state of the republic at that time (at peace, in a truce, in an alliance, at war, respectively). When at war, the war version of the Lion of Saint Mark was used. [3] [4]
The flag inspired the modern Flag of Veneto region in Italy. [5]
It is unclear as to when the republic officially adopted the flag. One chronicler, John the Deacon, described how in 998 Doge Pietro Orseolo II was presented with a "triumphale vexillum" (triumphal banner) before leading a naval expedition against the Narentines, pirates who moored off the eastern coast of the Adriatic and harassed Venetian seamen. [6] [7] However, this chronicle does not explicitly mention the use of the Lion of Saint Mark within the flag or mention the colours used upon the banner.
The first recorded use of the Lion of Saint Mark on a red field by the Venetians dates back to the late thirteenth century. [8] Genoese archivist Jacobus de Voragine makes reference to the Lion of Saint Mark as the official symbol for Venice. He also mentions how the phrase "PAX TIBI MARCE EVANGELISTA MEUS" was found on the flag. [6]
The winged lion was chosen as a symbol of Venice due to its connotations with Saint Mark. Venetian tradition states how Saint Mark was travelling from Aquileia to Rome when an Angel appeared whilst he was in the lagoon of Venice and stated 'Pax tibi, Marce, evangelista meus. Hic requiescet corpus tuum' (Peace be with thee, O Mark, my evangelist. Here thy body will rest). [9] The legend was used in 828 by Venetian merchants Rustico da Torcello and Bon da Malamocco to justify their journey to Alexandria to return the corpse of Saint Mark to Venice and inter it within the city. From that moment Saint Mark became the patron saint of Venice and thus began the association between the city and the winged lion. [9]
Vexillologist Whitney Smith suggests that the colours chosen, red and gold, were selected on the basis that they were the colours of the Byzantine Empire, the previous rulers of the region. [8]
For 337 years 12 Gonfalonieri, mercenaries from Perast (modern day Montenegro), were appointed by the Venetian senate to guard the flag of the Republic at all times on the pain of death. 8 were executed in 1571 after the Battle of Lepanto for failing to protect it. [2]
Following the fall of the Republic of Venice in May 1797 by France and Austria, the Lion of Saint Mark was suppressed throughout Venice. As a result, the traditional flag of the Republic of Venice was abolished and replaced with two equal horizontal bands of blue on top of yellow. [10]
The last place where the flag was used as a symbol of the Republic was Perast, in Venetian Albania, a town faithful to Venice. Perast continued to celebrate its loyalty to Venice for several months by continuing to fly the flag. On 23 August 1797, the Austrian navy arrived in the town and the Banner of St. Mark was hauled down for the last time. Captain Joko Viskovich made a speech in the local language, stating "The history of this day will be known throughout all Europe, how Perast has maintained, with dignity, to the very end, the honour of the Venetian flag, honouring it with this solemn act, lowering it to the ground, bathed in our universal and bitter tears'. [11]
Usage of the Lion of Saint Mark in the flag of Venice would not return until 1848, when it appeared in the canton of the flag of the Republic of San Marco. [10]
The flag enjoys continued usage throughout the city of Venice. It can be found flying from the balconies of homes, hotels, and government offices. Some residents of the city also elect to fly the flag as an ensign from the stern of private boats, whilst some gondoliers choose to attach the flag to their gondola. On some occasions, the flag of the Republic of Venice flies atop a flagpole outside St. Mark's Basilica in Piazza San Marco. [12]
Even if it is not the flag of the Veneto region, it is preferred by people and institutions across the entire region because of its symbolic meaning of the unity of Venetian people and the historic heritage of the Republic of Venice.[ citation needed ] The flag can be seen in many other cities as Verona and Treviso, but it is used in some towns from Friuli too, once under the rule of Venice. The Venetian people tend to recognize themselves in this flag, which has become the true symbol of their unity.[ citation needed ]
Usage of the flag has also been adopted as a symbol by some claiming to represent the Venetian regionalist movement.[ citation needed ]
The flag of the Republic of Venice appears alongside the flag of Genoa, the Cross of Pisa, and the flag of the Republic of Amalfi on the ensign of the Italian navy. [13]
Historical flags of the municipality [14]
Historical flags of the republic
State flags
Naval and land fortifications flags [23]
The Doge of Venice was the highest role of authority within the Republic of Venice. The word "Doge" originates from the Latin word "Dux," which translates to "leader" or "Duke."
Piazza San Marco, often known in English as St Mark's Square, is the principal public square of Venice, Italy, where it is generally known just as la Piazza. Almost all the other urban spaces in the city are called campi ("fields"). The Piazzetta is an extension of the Piazza towards San Marco basin in its southeast corner. The two spaces together form the social, religious and political centre of Venice and are referred to together. This article relates to both of them.
The Doge's Palace is a palace built in Venetian Gothic style, and one of the main landmarks of the city of Venice in northern Italy. The palace was the residence of the Doge of Venice, the supreme authority of the former Republic of Venice. It was built in 1340 and extended and modified in the following centuries. It became a museum in 1923 and is one of the 11 museums run by the Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia.
The Patriarchal Cathedral Basilica of Saint Mark, commonly known as St Mark's Basilica, is the cathedral church of the Patriarchate of Venice; it became the episcopal seat of the Patriarch of Venice in 1807, replacing the earlier cathedral of San Pietro di Castello. It is dedicated to and holds the relics of Saint Mark the Evangelist, the patron saint of the city.
The Republic of Venice or Venetian Republic, traditionally known as La Serenissima, was a sovereign state and maritime republic in parts of the present-day Italian Republic that existed for 1,100 years from 697 until 1797. Centered on the lagoon communities of the prosperous city of Venice, it incorporated numerous overseas possessions in modern Croatia, Slovenia, Montenegro, Greece, Albania and Cyprus. The republic grew into a trading power during the Middle Ages and strengthened this position during the Renaissance. Most citizens spoke the Venetian language, although publishing in Italian became the norm during the Renaissance.
St Mark's Campanile is the bell tower of St Mark's Basilica in Venice, Italy. The current campanile is a reconstruction completed in 1912, the previous tower having collapsed in 1902. At 98.6 metres (323 ft) in height, it is the tallest structure in Venice and is colloquially termed "el paròn de casa". It is one of the most recognizable symbols of the city.
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Venetian nationalism is a nationalist, but primarily regionalist, political movement active mostly in Veneto, Italy, as well as in other parts of the former Republic of Venice.
The Marciana Library or Library of Saint Mark is a public library in Venice, Italy. It is one of the earliest surviving public libraries and repositories for manuscripts in Italy and holds one of the world's most significant collections of classical texts. It is named after St Mark, the patron saint of the city.
San Donà di Piave is a city and comune in the Metropolitan City of Venice, Veneto, northern Italy. It is one of the historical main towns of the Eastern Veneto territory, although it was totally reconstructed in the early 1920s after being heavily damaged during the World War I.
The Museo Correr is a museum in Venice, northern Italy. Located in St. Mark's Square, Venice, it is one of the 11 civic museums run by the Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia. The museum extends along the southside of the square on the upper floors of the Procuratorie Nuove. With its rich and varied collections, the Museo Correr covers both the art and history of Venice.
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The office of Procurator of Saint Mark was one of the few lifetime appointments in the government of the Venetian Republic and was considered second only to that of the doge in prestige. It was routinely occupied by nobles belonging to the most influential families and typically represented the climax of a distinguished political career, although it was often an intermediate position prior to election as doge.
The flag of the Italian region of Veneto derives from the flag historically used by the Republic of Venice (697–1797), a maritime republic centered on the modern city of Venice. The modern flag was adopted by legge regionale20 maggio 1975, n. 56 and amended by L.R. del 22 febbraio 1999, which deleted the words "Regione del Veneto". Regione del Veneto also has a banner (gonfalone), its design identical to the flag's except in its vertical orientation.
The Lion of Saint Mark, representing Mark the Evangelist, pictured in the form of a winged lion, is an aspect of the Tetramorph. On the pinnacle of St Mark's Cathedral he is depicted as holding a Bible, and surmounting a golden lion which is the symbol of the city of Venice and formerly of the Venetian Republic.
The Order of Saint Mark was the sole order of chivalry of the Republic of Venice. It was named in honour of Venice's patron saint, Mark the Evangelist.
The Republic of Venice was dissolved and dismembered by the French general Napoleon Bonaparte and the Habsburg Monarchy on 12 May 1797.
The Venetian Renaissance had a distinct character compared to the general Italian Renaissance elsewhere. The Republic of Venice was topographically distinct from the rest of the city-states of Renaissance Italy as a result of their geographic location, which isolated the city politically, economically and culturally, allowing the city the leisure to pursue the pleasures of art. The influence of Venetian art did not cease at the end of the Renaissance period. Its practices persisted through the works of art critics and artists proliferating its prominence around Europe to the 19th century.
The Moro family was a patrician family of the Republic of Venice.