A tour to discover, through an exclusive trail closed to other visitors, some magnificent and lesser known treasures of St. Mark's Cathedral.
Info & Booking
A tour to discover, through an exclusive trail closed to other visitors, some magnificent and lesser known treasures of St. Mark's Cathedral.
Availability: all year long, from Tuesday to Saturday.
Hours:
- April to October: 11am, 12:15pm, 2:45pm, 4pm
- November to March: 10:30am, 11:45am
Duration: 1 hour
Languages: English / Italian
Visit not available on religious holidays and events.
Meeting point:
- April to October – in front of the San Clemente Door of St Mark’s Basilica
- November to March - in the atrium at the central entrance of St. Mark’s Basilica.
Included:
- Guided tour
- Skip-the-line access to San Marco Basilica
- Ticket to visit the Golden Pall
- Access to the Treasure
- Ticket to visit the Cloister of St. Apollonia
Not included:
- What is not specified under "Inclusions"
- Ticket to visit the Diocesan Museum of Sacred Art
IMPORTANT - PLEASE NOTICE: Vouchers must be printed, vouchers on Ipad, Iphone are not valid and not accepted.
CANCELLATION POLICY: Once a confirmation code has been assigned to your reservation, tour cannot be canceled nor refunded.
Save time ordering: Add all the service tickets you want into your basket, then fill in the form and send your request.
PLEASE NOTE: Immediately after submitting an order, you will receive an email with your order summary plus a second email confirming your successful payment. A confirmation email with links to the vouchers will be sent one business day after you place your order (Monday afternoon for orders submitted on Friday and during the weekend). Please make sure that your anti-spam filter does not block automatic emails from [email protected].
Saint Mark's Basilica and the Cloister of Saint Apollonia
Discover the ancient atmosphere of Saint Mark's Basilica and the Cloister of Saint Apollonia, the only example of a Romanesque cloister of mainland origin in Venice, a small treasure of rare beauty located just steps away from the Basilica.
This guided tour gives you the opportunity to experience the most important religious building in Venice, as well as a fascinating, little known place - in a small group visit guaranteeing an intimate atmosphere perfect to fully appreciate them both.
The visit begins with the fast track entry to Saint Mark's Basilica, where you will discover the history of its construction, the arrival of Saint Mark's relics and transformation of the church from the Doge's private chapel to Venice’s Cathedral. You’ll see the truly breathtaking 13th century mosaics adorning the domes (and learn the scenes, the meaning, the allegories) and then continue the visit to the Treasure and the "Pala d'Oro".
One of the most valuable collections of religious art in Italy, Saint Mark's Treasure includes precious objects made in the Orient. These came to Venice after the sack of Constantinople in 1204, together with splendid goldsmithing works from Venice and the Occident as well as Saint Mark's throne-reliquary, donated by the Emperor Heraclius to the Patriarch Primogenius.
The "Pala d'Oro" is a rare and beautiful work of jewelry, consisting of gold, silver, enamel, and precious stones, enriched by enamel representations made for the Basilica in the 10th century and completed only four centuries later.
At the end of the guided tour of the Basilica, you will cross a secret passageway that will take you directly to the Canonica bridge, from where you’ll reach the Cloister of Saint Apollonia, located inside the former Benedictine monastery which is now the seat of Saint Mark’s Lapidary, the Diocesan Museum of Sacred Art, and the Patriarchal Historical Archive.