St. Mark's Basilica

St. Mark's Basilica is a cathedral church located in Piazza San Marco in Venice. It is also known as 'the Golden Church' due to the dazzling golden mosaics on the inside of its dome-shaped ceiling. It is an architectural and artistic wonder and has a notable place in Venice's cultural heritage.

It is also called Basilica di San Marco. Saint Mark's sarcophagus and other sacred relics are housed in the basilica. The interior is covered with mosaics that cover over 8000 square metres. It was built in an Italian-Byzantine and Gothic style in the 11th century. There's also a bell tower here, the campanile, standing at 99 meters. The Pala d'Oro, a Byzantine altar screen, is studded with 1,300 pearls, 300 emeralds, 300 sapphires, 400 garnets, 100 amethysts, rubies, and topazes and is in close proximity to the basilica. Most of the relics, including the four bronze horses at the entrance, here were stolen during the Fourth Crusade in 1204 and the conquest of Constantinople. Private and group tours are available, and you can also roam around on your own.