10
St. Theodore and the Lion of Venice columns
Two granite columns stand guard at the entrance to St.
Mark’s Square (Piazza di San Marco).
On top of the western column is a statue of St. Theodore,
the first patron of the city. Here he holds a spear and his
foot rests upon a crocodile—representing the dragon he
was said to have slain. On the eastern column stands the
winged Lion of Venice, the symbol of the second patron
of the city, St. Mark.
Both columns are believed to have been erected in about
1268 and it is believed that the city executed convicted
criminals between the two columns in days gone by. To
this day, superstitious Venetians avoid walking between
this pair of columns.
[ “There is a glorious city in
the sea. The sea is in the
broad, the narrow streets,
Ebbing and flowing... ” ]
SamuelRogers
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