The columns of St Mark's

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The columns of St Mark’s Square — (Marco Trevisan, Venipedia/Bazzmann)

High soaring into the sky, these two slender, sinuous columns: they represent the Winged Lion symbolising the Serenissima and St. Todaro protecting the city.
For those arriving from the sea, they acted as a gateway to the Marciana area, like two silent bodyguards defending the most precious of jewels: St. Mark's Square.

The columns of St Mark’s Square are tall and slender pillars in pink and gray marble and granite, positioned at the entrance to the Saint Mark’s area towards the waterfront and lagoon of San Marco; different crafts are carved at the base of the columns and the statues of the winged lion, symbol of the Republic and of Saint Theodore (Todaro in Venetian) stand on the typical Venetian-Byzantine style capitals. Saint Theodore was the first patron saint of the city (this currentstatue is actually a copy, the original can be found at the entrance to the Doge's Palace).

The winged lion

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