Venice, Italy: San Marco: Procuratie Vecchie: Clock Tower
Loading...
Authors
Sheppard, Beth M.
Issue Date
May 22, 2017
Type
Image
Language
Keywords
Italy , Venice , Venezia , San Marco , St. Mark's Square , Procuratie Vecchie , Old Procuracies , Torre dell'Orologio , Clock Tower , St. Mark in Art , Saint Mark in Art , Evangelists in Art , Patron Saints in Art , Clocks in Art , Moors in Art , Mauro Codussi , Giorgio Massari
Alternative Title
Abstract
Description
Multiple photos are associated with this record. Please click the links to view all of the items in the series. The photos show the Clock Tower (in Italian: Torre dell'Orologio) on the end of the Procuratie Vecchie in St. Mark's Square in Venice, Italy. Venice (Venezia) is a city in northeastern Italy that is built on a group of 126 islands separated by open water and canals, linked through 472 bridges. The historical island city is home to only 51K people, but a very popular tourist destination with about 60K tourists per day. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is renowned for its beauty, architecture, and artwork. The district of San Marco's defensive location on the large firm islet, with commanding views of the Basin of San Marco and its route to the sea and also the entrance to the Grand Canal, made it a natural choice for the fortified palace of the doge (chief magistrate). In the San Marco district, the square is the city's main gathering place for tourists and contains the city's most famous buildings, such as St. Mark's Basilica and the Doge's Palace. Three connected buildings flank the square: the Procuratie Nuove, the Procuratie Nuovissime, and the Procuratie Vecchie. The clock tower on the north side of the Procuratie Vecchie was built in the late 15th century by Mauro Codussi. The winged lion of St. Mark against a starry background was built in 1755 by Giorgio Massari. The two bronze statues of Moors who strike the hours were cast at the same time as the clock. The clock shows the phases of the moon and the signs of the zodiac, as well as the time.
Citation
Publisher
License
CC BY-NC-SA 4.0