The church of St
Mark is unique as a temple in Europe, for it is neither Grecian nor Gothic,
but in a style completely Oriental, from the singularity of its structure,
its many gilded cupolas and the variety of its exterior ornaments. At
_first sight_ it appears a more striking object than either St Peter's in
Rome or St Paul's in London. On the top of the facade, which is singularly
picturesque, stand the four bronze horses which have been brought back from
Paris to their old residence.
I ascended the top of the facade in order to examine them. They are
beautifully formed, in very good cast and have not at all been damaged by
the journey. The _Piazza_ is paved with broad flagged stones. The Doge's
palace is a vast building, very picturesque withal, and seems a _melange_
of Gothic and Moorish architecture. At right angles to it and facing the
_Piazzetta_, which issues from the _Piazza_ and forms a quai to the _Canale
Grande_, stands the famous state prison and _Ponte de 'Sospiri_. On the
_Piazzetta_ and fronting the landing place stand two columns of white
marble, on one of which stands the winged Lion of St Marco and on the other
a crocodile, emblematical of the foreign commerce and possessions of the
Republic.
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