# Colonna di San Marco

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Canonical page: https://mytuur.com/en/city/venice/spot/colonna-di-san-marco/

Content updated: 2026-06-22

Colonna di San Marco stands beside the water in Venice’s Piazza San Marco, within the city’s historic architectural centre. The column carries the winged lion of Saint Mark. Its companion bears Saint Theodore, Venice’s earlier patron saint, and together they mark an entrance from the sea. Both columns date from the twelfth century. Nicolò Barattiero completed the work under Doge Sebastiano Ziani as the square expanded. The columns came to Venice from the East. The winged lion is an ancient bronze sculpture with possible Greek or Syriac origins. Nearby, the Doge’s Palace, Saint Mark’s Basilica and the Giardinetti Reali frame the square. The columns also reflect changing public life around Venice’s main ceremonial space. Their setting once held wooden shops and later became associated with executions from the mid-eighteenth century. Venetian tradition still treats the space between the columns with caution. Colonna di San Marco remains a visible symbol of Saint Mark and Venice’s maritime history. Its accessible setting lets visitors observe the bronze figure, the column and the surrounding waterfront without leaving the public square.

- City: [Venice](https://mytuur.com/en/city/venice/)

## Photos

- ![](https://mytuur-bucket.s3.amazonaws.com/image_ColonnadiSanMarco_68507957717a3e13abd51f62_0.jpg) — [Image: wikimedia](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Column_of_San_Marco_\(Colonna_di_San_Marco\),_Venice_\(22764939658\).jpg)

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