According to the Liber pontificalis, Pope Mark established a basilica in a place called ad Pallacinas in 336.[1] 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 with acanthus vine-scroll ornamentation underneath the present-day basilica's right aisle.[2] 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.[2] The synod of Pope Symmachus in 499 records the church as Titulus Marci.[3] 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.[2] 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.[2]
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 enclosure that divided the nave and provided space for the Schola Cantorum.[2] The Liber pontificalis notes that Pope Adrian I made repairs to the second church's roof and aisles, and provided the basilica with altar cloths, curtains, and seven gold chalices.[4]
Present-day basilica
Rome, San Marco. Campanile.Rome, San Marco. Interior.Rome, San Marco. Apse and arch mosaics.
According to the Liber pontificalis, Pope Gregory IV saw the ruinous state of the second church and decided to have it demolished in 833 to rebuild the basilica now seen today.[5] 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. Gregory IV's unique contributions to this rebuilding was the monumental apse mosaic, the annular crypt, and the clerestory.[6]
The apse mosaic is the best surviving element of the Gregory IV's resconstruction in 833. It depicts Jesus 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, lead out of Bethlehem and Jerusalem and surround the Lamb of God. On the apsidal arch, St. Peter and St. Paul stand beneath the roundels of Christ and the Four Evangelists. The Latin 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.
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.[7]
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 to St. Mark's Basilica in Venice 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.[7] While papal self-representation in apse mosaics was fairly common in the ninth century (i.e. Pope Paschal I in Santa Prassede and Santa Cecilia in Trastevere), Pope Gregory IV's inclusion in at San Marco speaks to his desire to establish papal authority in the city.[8]
Further changes were made to the church throughout the 12th century, with the addition of a Romanesquecampanile above the southern end of the nave, sculptural work around the main southern portal, and a new ciborium above the high altar. From 1465–70, Pope Paul II renovated the church's façade according to the Renaissance taste, with a two-storied portico and loggia, using marbles taken from the Colosseum and the Theater of Marcellus. It was at this time that the church was incorporated into the Palazzo Venezia complex, and the clerestory windows were enlarged and ornamented with Gothictracery, a common feature of Quattrocento Roman architecture.[2] 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). In 1564, Pope Pius IV gave the Republic of Venice control over most of Palazzo Venezia to use as its embassy, thereby making the basilica the national Venetian church in Rome.[9] During the early modern period, the church's interior underwent two major redecoration campaigns in the Baroque style. From 1654–57, Niccolò Sagredo commissioned Orazio Torriani 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.[2] Paintings and sculptures by Baroque and Neoclassical artists, such as Pier Francesco Mola, Guillame Courtois, Palma il Giovane, Luigi Primo, Carlo Maratta, Cosimo Fancelli, and Antonio Canova can be found in throughout the nave of the present-day church.[10]
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
The following is a list of the past cardinal priests of San Marco, Rome:[11]
↑ Kirsch, Johann Peter (1918). Die römischen Titelkirchen im Altertum. Studien zur Geschichte und Kultur des Altertums ...9. Bd., 1. und 2. Hft. Paderborn: F. Schöningh. p.8.
Cecchelli, Margherita. "S. Marco". In Materiali e tecniche dell'edilizia paleocristiana a Roma, edited by Margherita Cecchelli, pp.298–302. Rome, 2001. OCLC47895754.
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