Home
In 336, Pope Mark built a church devoted to one of the Evangelists, his patron saint, St Mark, in a place called ad Pallacinas. The church is thus recorded as Titulus Marci in the 499 synod of Pope Symmachus. At that time, it became one of the stational churches of Rome. After a restoration in 792 by Pope Adrian I, the church was rebuilt by Pope Gregory IV in 833. Besides the addition of a Romanesque bell tower in 1154, the major change in the architecture of the church was ordered by Pope Paul II in 1465–70, when the façade of the church was restyled according to the Renaissance taste with a portico and loggia, using marbles taken from the Colosseum and the Theatre of Marcellus. The façade is attributed to Leon Battista Alberti. Pope Paul II, being a Venetian by birth, assigned the church to the Venetian people living in Rome. The last major reworking of the basilica was started in 1654-57 and completed by Cardinal Angelo Maria Quirini in 1735–50. With these restorations, the church received its current Baroque decoration. 
St Mark The Evangelist Basilica Exterior Views 
St Mark the Evangelist Basilica Interior Views St Mark the Evangelist wrote the second gospel, the Gospel according to Mark. He is one of the four evangelists who penned the good news of Jesus. St Mark is symbolized as the winged lion. Early Christians used creatures as symbols of the four Gospels and likened the Four Evangelists to the bible’s “original creatures”. The connection between these creatures and the Evangelists grew over the centuries in the written word as well as in art. There is also a Christian legend which describes St Mark being thrown to the lions, only to have them neglect him. Not even attacking and outright refusing to harm the Saint. The usually aggressive lions ended up sleeping at his feet, while the Saint gently petted them. Impressed and perplexed by this sight, the Romans decided to release him and let him be. St Mark was martyred at Alexandria, Egypt. In AD 68 pagans placed a rope around his neck and dragged him through the streets of Alexandria until he was dead. The relics of St Mark the Evangelist are stored under the Altar in St Mark's Basilica in Venice, Italy. On your next (or first) visit to Rome, be sure to include a tour of St Mark the Evangelist on your agenda. You are sure to discover fantastic aspects of this historic basilica. Reference: 'San Marco Evangelista al Campidoglio, Rome' on WikiPedia.org 'Mark the Evangelist' on WikiPedia.org and 'en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Mark%27s_relics' All Photographs are from: 'commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:San_Marco_(Rome)' 'en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Mark%27s_relics' 
St Mark the Evangelist by Fra Angelico C56 (1971) St Mark the Evangelist P106a (1994) Vending Machine - St Mark w/Lion V12 (2002) St Mark the Evangelist Relics Under the Altar in St Mark's Basilica in Venice, Italy |
