The Patriarchal Cathedral Basilica of Saint Mark, commonly known as St Mark’s Basilica, is the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Patriarchate of Venice in northern Italy; it became the episcopal seat of the Patriarch of Venice in 1807, replacing the earlier cathedral of San Pietro di Castello.
The church is located on the eastern end of Saint Mark’s Square, the former political and religious centre of the Republic of Venice, and is attached to the Doge’s Palace. Prior to the fall of the republic in 1797, it was the chapel of the Doge and was subject to his jurisdiction, with the concurrence of the procurators of Saint Mark de supra for administrative and financial affairs. As the state sanctuary, it was the site of official religious and civic ceremonies, including the presentation of a new Doge to the people and the consignment to the capitano generale da mar of the banner of Saint Mark, symbol of the supreme authority to defend the republic on the sea in wartime.
