Interior of St. Marks, Venice, Looking East

St Mark's Basilica in Venice is the city's most famous church, standing on the Piazza San Marco and connected to the Doge's Palace. It is one of the best-known examples of the Italo-Byzantine architecture for which Venice is famed. It was built between probably 1063 and 1093, although other churches had existed on the site before. The interior of St Mark's is decorated largely with mosaics, probably in part to support the local glass industry in Venice. Carlo Ponti was an Italian photographer based in Venice and there is a group of his photos of the city-state in the Walker's Works on Paper collection. This photo shows the eastern arm of St Mark's, crossed by a 14th century altar screen with marble columns, topped by a Crucifix and statues by Pier Paolo and Jacobello Dalle Masegne. Behind the screen is the high altar, containing the relics of St Mark.