The church of St. Mark, once only the church of the palace, is now the principal one in the city. It was begun in 829, but being burnt down was re built in 976. The interior is entirely covered with Mosaic pictures in stained glass cn a gold ground, which are reckoned inferior only to those of St. Peter's at Rome. The altars and columns are of the richest marble, and likewise the tesselated pave ment. The centre front consists of 10 arches, five above and five below, the lower ones being support ed by two rows of columns, 292 in number, some being of porphyry, others of nerd antique. and the rest of fine marble, all of them trophies of the Ve netian conquests. The upper centre arch is ter minated by a colossal statue of St. Mark, and above the lower one are placed the celebrated Grecian horses of Corinthian brass, said to be the work of Lysippus, These horses are supposed to have stood successively on the triumphal arches of Au gustus, Domitian, Trajan, and Constantine, the lat ter of whom removed them, with the chariot of the sun, and placed them in the Hippodrome. In 1206, when the Venetians took the city, they carried them to Venice, where they stood above the grand en trance to St. Mark 600 years. The French took them to Paris in 1797, and placed them on the tri umphal arch in the place de Carousel; but they were returned to their rightful owners in 1815.
The Campienello, or bell tower, stands opposite to the church. It is 300 feet high. The ascent to the bells is by inclined planes, and from the gallery there is one of the grandest views in Venice. At the base of the Campienello is the Logetta, a small, though beautiful marble building.
The houses in Venice are generally gloomy and defective in accommodation. Ordinary buildings are of brick covered with wood, and the general height is three or four stories. The principal man sions of the great families arc the palaces of the Bal hi, Canaro, Barbarigo, Grassi, Farsetti, &c. One of the principle churches beside that of St. Mark, is that of St. Maria della Salute, designed by Palladio, and built wholly of marble. It contains several fine pictures by Titian; that of II Redemptore, in the island of Giudecca, is very elegant. The ca thedral of St. Peter stands on an island at the east end of the city, and is built of Istrian marble. The church of St. Georgia Maggiore, in the island of the same name, is the work of Palladio, and is one of the most beautiful in Venice. The church of S. S. Giovanni e Paolo is the Westminster Abbey of Venice, and contains the tombs of its great men.
It is a large Gothic structure, and contains the mar tyrdom of St. Peter by Titian, which was carried off to the Louvre, but was replaced in 1815. Near this church is a fine building with elegant halls, called the school of St. Mark, opposite to which is a bronze equestrian statue of de Bergamo, the Ve netian general. Venice has eight theatres, the newest and most elegant of which is the La Feniee. The assembly rooms contiguous to it are large and handsome. The arsenal is a magnificent building, situated on an island near the eastern end of the city. It is defended by a rampart, and before its gates are two huge pillars, with the two gigantic lions in granite which once stood on the Piraeus at Athens.
The trade of Venice was at its height in the 12th, 13th and 14th centuries, but even then it probably did not exceed that of Liverpool. Though enor mously diminished, it is still considerable, particu larly with the Levant, the produce of which it trans mits to other countries, while it supplies the Levant with groceries, Dutch and German linens, &c. dried and salted fish, &c. The manufactures of Venice consist of woollens, serges, canvas and ropes, velvets, gold and silver embroideries, silk stockings, and lace. The mirrors and turpentine of Venice are celebrated every where. Printing is carried on to a considerable extent.
There is at Venice an academy of the fine arts, an athenaeum, and an academy for general educa tion, a school of navigation, and an establishment like a foundling hospital, called the Rio de Pieta, for educating in all kinds of employments one hun dred young women. Music has always been the principal study; on Sundays they give concerts in their church, when the girls sing and play upon every kind of instrument. On the small island of Lazarus there is an Armenian seminary, with a large library and printing office where a newspaper is published.
The chief promenades are the square of St. Mark; the gardens and the convent of St. Georgio Mag giore, the New Quay and the garden of th e Count. ess de Savorgnan.
The history of Venice has been sufficiently no ticed in that of the other states of Europe. It is now under the dominion of Austria, by whom it is treated with great indulgence. Population about 120,000. Lon. of St. Mark 12° 20' 59" E. North Lat. 25' 32". Sec Kuttner's Travels, chap. xxiv.; Eustace's Travels, vol. ii. p. 67; Mayer's Beschreebung von Venedig. Leipz. 1790, and Arndt's Travels, tom. 1.