Winged lions, Venice

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If you have ever believed that the city which has the most lions in the world is in Africa, you have never been to Venice.
Venice is the only place which showcases the largest number of lions in the world. The beautiful sculptures of the winged lion of Venice are hanging in almost every corner of the city .They are also found in the city which was conquered during its vast dominium and ancient Republic.

The winged lion is usually accompanied by a halo, a sword and a book under the front right foot on which the motto reads: "Pax tibi Marce, Evangelista meus' (Peace be with you, Mark, my Evangelist). The full sentence would also include the words, "Hic requiescet tuum corpus" or "Here rest your body," which, according to an ancient tradition, an angel in the form of a winged lion would turn to the saint, shipwrecked in the lagoons and would announce that for one day in those lands he would find his body in a place of rest and worship. In fact, the body of St. Mark was brought to Venice by two Venetian merchants, Buono da Malamocco and Rustico da Torcello, after it was stolen from Alexandria in Egypt.

The Venetian lion appears in two distinct forms. One is as a winged animal resting on water, to symbolise dominance over the seas, holding St. Mark’s Gospel under a front paw. You can see these mighty animals all round the Mediterranean, usually on top of a classical stone column. The other form, which is perhaps more interesting, is known as the lion “in moleca”.

It is still a fact that the lion, the symbol of majesty and power, has always been a figure that has fascinated the Venetians. In addition to the many sculptural representations that we can find around the city or representations of armorial bearings, such as painted flags in Venice, real lions could be found even in the gardens of the palaces. Even in 1316 a lioness gave birth in the courtyard of the Palazzo Ducale to the surprise of all the people.

Through the years, Venetians have been replicating sculptures of lions and there are still few companies in Venice, such as Ithaca Art www.ithaca-art.com who continues to replicate by carefully following the ancient techniques.

If you want to know more about Venetian Lions or add a Venetian touch to your home and garden you can buy a replica at Ithaca Art at www.ithaca-art.com/venetian-lions

Want to know more about Venetian lions? Visit www.ithaca-art.com or email as@ithaca-art.co.uk

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Winged lions can be found all over the city of Venice, in all shapes and sizes. The winged lion became the symbol of the city after the body of St. Mark the Evangelist was stolen and brought to Venice around 828 A.D. The four evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, are each represented by a winged creature, and St. Mark's symbol is a winged lion. Unfortunately, when Napoleon captured the city of Venice in 1797, he gave orders to destroy winged lions all over the city since they were considered a symbol of the Republic - even the one sitting on top of St. Mark's column was temporarily removed. After Napoleon's defeat, most winged lions were restored to their original locations and copies were made to replace those that had been destroyed beyond repairs. They now stand once again as proud symbols of "la Serenissima".

Well not only in Kenya ;-)
The lion is the symbol of Venice and they can be seen almost everywhere in Venice. The obvious places are in St Marks on the Basilica and in the small piazzata fronting the lagoon on top of one of the columns there. I liked spotting the unusual ones like this one -one of a pair - on a wall in Salizada San Polo.

In the distance you can see the Lion of St.Marks. It is towering high up in the sky on a huge pillar. But with a pair of binoculars (or a good zoom lens on your camera) you will be able to take a good look at it.

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All around Venice you will find the symbol of a winged lion. This is the symbol of Venice. It was the symbol of the St. Mark which is, of course, the patron saint of Venice.