Campanile di San Marco is a bell tower in Venice, Italy. It is located near the Piazza San Marco and close to the front of the Basilica di San Marco.

 

It is 98.6 meters high and has a simple structure. The lower half is a huge columnar building made of bricks. Each side is 12 meters long and 50 meters high. Above it is an arched bell tower with 5 clocks , Above the arched bell tower is a square building, the outer walls are decorated by the lion and the female symbol of Venice (La Giustizia).

 

At the top of the bell tower is a pyramid-shaped minaret, and a golden angel Gabriel-shaped wind vane is placed on the tip. Campanile di San Marco now seen was built in 1514, but it suddenly collapsed in 1902 and was rebuilt in 1912.

​

The predecessor of the Campanile di San Marco appeared in the 9th century (the Duke of Venice was Pietro Tribuno) and was built on the foundations of ancient Rome as an observation deck for the pier, which was later included in the scope of Piazza San Marco. In the 12th century (the Duke of Venice was Domenico Morosini), the bottom of the bell tower was part of the cloister, which was then used as a camp for the guards of the Palazzo Ducale in Venice. The cloister was built by San Sorvino in 1549 and expanded in 1663.

​

In 1489, a fire caused severe damage to the Campanile di San Marco and burned the wooden tip of the it. The shape was designed in the 16th century because it was destroyed by the earthquake in March 1511. The restoration of the bell tower was originally undertaken by Giorgio Spavento, but it was later completed under the direction of designer Bartolomeo Bon. After the restoration, the marble arched bell tower first appeared. At the same time, the sculpture of the guardian St. Mark was placed on the top of the Campanile di San Marco. After the wooden statue of the angel Gabriel was placed in it, the reconstruction work was finally completed on July 6, 1513, the historian Marino Sanuto also recorded the process of the celebrating ceremony.

 

In the following centuries, the Campanile di San Marco was repeatedly damaged by fire. In 1653, Baldassarre Longhena completed the reconstruction of it. A fire on April 13, 1745 forced the it to undergo extensive repairs and caused some workers to be killed by falling stones. In 1776, a lightning rod was added to it. In 1820, the old statue Gabriel was replaced with a new one by Luigi Zandomeneghi.