VENICE 



0052 



VENICE 



regarded by competent critics as the most or- 

 nate example of Renaissance architecture in the 

 world. The group now constitutes the Royal 

 Palace. Near by is the famous Campanile 

 (bell tower) of Saint Mark's, described and pic- 

 tured on page 1086. 



Another interesting landmark in the square 

 is an old clock tower dating from 1496, and 



Venice once was dear, 

 The pleasant place of all festivity, 

 The rival of the earth, the masque of Italy. 

 BYRON : Childe Harold. 



there are numerous monuments of historic and 

 artistic interest. Both Procuratie are lined with 

 shops and cafes. The Piazza is a place of ac- 

 tivity by day and by night, and often on moon- 

 light nights there are band concerts to delight 

 the throngs of people that congregate there. 



Along the Grand Canal. Between the Piazza 

 and the Rialto Bridge there are numerous in- 

 teresting structures, such as the imposing 

 Church of Santa Maria della Salute; the fa- 

 mous Academy of Fine Arts, containing Titian's 

 Assumption of the Virgin and paintings by Bel- 

 lini, Paul Veronese and other masters; the 

 Palazzo (Palace) Rezzonico, where Browning 

 died; and the Palazzo Mocenigo, home of 

 Byron. Beyond the Rialto are the markets ; the 

 Municipal Museum, with its collections of 

 gems, carvings and other works of art, and 

 numerous beautiful palaces of varying styles of 

 architecture. Indeed, a journey down the Canal 



affords one an impressive study of the art of 

 the Middle Ages. 



Other Features of Interest. A detailed de- 

 scription of the many beautiful churches of 

 Venice is not possible here, but mention should 

 be made of some of them. The Church of San 

 Salvatore (1534), noted for its fine dome, pos- 

 sesses one of the world's masterpieces Titian's 

 Annunciation. Another splendid edifice, the 

 Gothic Church of the Frari, is noted for it- 

 beautiful altarpieces; the Scuola di San Rocco 

 is adorned with some of Tintoretto's mural 

 paintings, including his Crucifixion. Other 

 notable churches include the Jesuit, the in- 

 terior of which is inlaid with marble; the San 

 Sebastiano, containing altarpieces by Paul 

 Veronese and the tomb of the artist; and the 

 San Giorgio Maggiore, whose beautiful bell 

 tower is an excellent vantage point from which 

 to view the city. 



One of the special points of interest is the 

 Arsenal, a great collection of wharves, dock- 

 yards and magazines filled with military stores 

 of every description. It was famous through- 

 out Europe in the period of the city's commer- 

 cial glory, and until the War of the Nations 

 was the largest arsenal in the world, employing 

 6,000 men. The Arsenal Museum contains a 

 model of the Buc.entaur, the state barge from 

 which the Doge, on Ascension- Day, solemnly 

 wedded the city to the Adriatic by casting a 

 ring into the water. By this unique ceremony 

 Venice celebrated its supremacy on the seas. 



Industries and Commerce. A period of de- 

 cline followed the medieval era of commercial 

 expansion, but within recent years Venice has 

 prospered greatly in many fields. The manu- 

 facture of tprpedoes, the building of ships, the 

 making of beads and glass and the production 

 of laces, brocades, tapestries, jewelry and other 

 artistic wares are all flourishing industries. 

 The shops of Venice vie with those of Paris. 

 In the number of ships entering and clearing 

 the harbor each year the city ranks seventh 

 among Italian ports, but in the value of its 

 foreign trade it holds third place. 



History. The city traces its origin to a group 

 of huts built on the islands in the fifth century 

 by a band of refugees fleeing from Attila's 

 Huns. Gradually there developed out of a col- 

 lection of villages a city state which, in the 

 year 697, elected as its ruler an official bearing 

 the title of Doge. In 810 the islands called the 

 Rialto, in the center of the Venetian lagoon, 

 were chosen as the seat of government. The 

 republic, thus unified and strengthened, entered 



