“And I vowed that if I could get out of my native empire, the first thing I would do would be to go to Venice, rent a room on the first floor of some palazzo, so that the waves from passing boats would splash through the window, write a couple of elegies, putting out cigarettes on the damp stone floor, cough and drink, and when money ran out, instead of a train ticket I would buy a small Browning and blow my brains out without leaving my seat, having failed to die of natural causes in Venice.”
Joseph Brodsky – “Quay of the Unhealable” 1989.
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Venice is a city that one cannot help but love and admire.
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The legendary foundation of Venice dates back to March 25, 421. Although in the name of the city preserved the name of the ancient tribe of Veneti or Eneti, who inhabited the Northern Adriatic before Christ.
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In the V century, after the fall of the Roman Empire, during the barbarian raids, part of the local population fled in terror to the islands of the lagoon. This is how Venice was gradually born.
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Of course, first of all the name of the city is associated with the holy apostle and evangelist Mark. According to divine legend, the saint visited the Venetian lagoon in the year 52 on Christmas Day. This explains the love of the Venetians for the saint and the fact that they chose St. Mark as the heavenly patron saint of the city. In 828, the relics of the saint were taken out of Alexandria by Venetian merchants by trickery. So on the site of the modern cathedral, which we see in our time, the first chapel appears.
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Since its foundation, Venice has never been rebuilt. It has preserved all its medieval charm, spread over 118 islands, amazingly united by a network of canals.
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“Crusades”, aimed at gaining possession of the Holy Sepulchre and the establishment of a Western Christian state in Palestine, became the “golden hour” of Venice. Untold riches are brought to the city, which contributes to its development and prosperity. Venice is the second city after Rome in terms of Christian shrines. All brought relics of saints are kept in Venetian churches.
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There are a lot of churches in Venice. It is impossible to get around them in a short period of time, so our itinerary takes us to see the main relics of the city and get a first impression of the city.
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