The story of St Mark's Basilica

This golden church was built to hold a stolen treasure: the relics of St Mark the Evangelist, patron saint of Venice. Until the fall of the Republic in 1797 it was not the cathedral but the private chapel of the Doge, attached to his palace; it only became the cathedral in 1807. The present building, the third on the site, was probably begun in 1063, modelled on the sixth-century Church of the Holy Apostles in Constantinople.

To show off the Republic's wealth and power, its brick walls were covered over time with precious stones and rare marbles, mostly in the thirteenth century. Many columns and sculptures were loot taken from Constantinople during the Fourth Crusade – including the four ancient bronze horses placed over the entrance.

Inside, the domes and vaults glitter with gold-ground mosaics that span eight hundred years of styles. Step in and let your eyes adjust to the gold.