The famous tower of St. Mark in Venice, actually the bell tower of the Basilica of St. Mark, collapsed on July 14, 1902. It was a great catastrophe, given the significance and age of the tower, which was already about 1000 years old at the time. Today’s tower of St. The stamp, which can be seen in Venice, is a copy of the original and was built to replace the demolished building.
Construction of the original tower of St. The brand was started in the 9th century. The final shape of the tower is in the early 16th century. It is interesting that from 1776 it was even equipped with a lightning rod. St. The brand stood out with its considerable height – 98.6 meters. The lower part of the tower is built of brick, and it houses a loggia with five bells and Romanesque quadriphores (a type of shaft vertically divided into four equal parts). Above this is another piece of brick, on the sides of which are alternately depicted lions in motion and symbolic depictions of Venice as female figures. At the very top is a pyramidal peak with a weather vane in the shape of the archangel Gabriel.
In 1902, a dangerous crack appeared on the north side of the tower, which increased over time. On the same day of the same year, the tower completely collapsed. Fortunately, no one was killed, and no other buildings were demolished, as the tower has a specific position separate from other buildings (unlike the predominant church towers leaning against the main church building).
St. The stamp was restored in less than ten years and was ceremoniously opened on St. Patrick’s Day. Mark (April 25) 1912. Today, this replacement tower is more than 100 years old and needs reconstructions and structural reinforcements to prevent it from tilting or collapsing. This is addressed by a titanium ring built into the tower foundations.
