Editing Piazza San Marco (section)

===Beginnings (800–1100)===
The first patron saint of Venice was [[Theodore of Amasea#St Theodore and Venice|St Theodore]], a Greek warrior saint, and the first chapel of the Doge was dedicated to him. It was probably built about 819 and stood near the site of the present church of St Mark. In 828–829 relics of [[Mark the Evangelist|St Mark]] were stolen from Alexandria and brought to Venice, and in time the Venetians and the Doge adopted the apostle as their new patron. He was the missionary-apostle who was said to have converted their district; the relics of an apostle would increase the importance of the city and their acquisition was a further step in the gradual process of freeing Venice from the domination of [[Byzantium]]. The relics were temporarily placed in the palace (or castle) of the Doge, Justinian Partecipacius, who provided in his will for a new church to be built. This first church of St Mark was begun on the south side of the existing chapel; by 836 construction was sufficiently advanced for the relics to be moved there.<ref>Demus pp. 4–6</ref> The design of the church was based on the [[Church of the Twelve Apostles]] in Constantinople and it seems to have covered the same area as the central part of the present church.<ref>Howard (2002) pp. 19, 24</ref> A campanile was first built in the time of Doge Pietro Tribuno (888–91).<ref>Lorenzetti p. 144</ref>

At that time there was probably an empty space covered with grass in front of the new church, but it cannot have extended more than about 60 metres to the west, where there was a stream (the Rio Baratario) bisecting the area now occupied by the Piazza. On the other side of this stream was [[San Geminiano, Venice|a small church dedicated to San Geminiano]]. The Doge's palace, in the same area as its modern successor, was at that time surrounded by water. The lagoon was to the south, the Rio di Palazzo (the canal beneath the [[Bridge of Sighs]]) to the east, and another stream to the north between the palace and the church. There was an inlet from the lagoon occupying much of the space now covered by the Piazzetta and this seems to have been used as a dock for the city.<ref>Perocco & Salvadori Vol. 1 p. 138 with a sketch plan showing the probable layout.</ref>

In 976 there was a rebellion against the Doge and the church was set on fire. The wooden parts, including the roof and wooden dome, were probably lost, but the church was not completely destroyed and it seems to have been rebuilt much as before.<ref>Howard (2002) p. 19</ref> In 1063 a complete rebuilding commenced. The new church was finished in the time of Doge [[Vitale Faliero|Vitale Falier]] (1084–96), and in its main structure this is the present church, though the west front facing the Piazza was then in the [[romanesque architecture|Romanesque]] style with undecorated brickwork (like the exterior of the apse today). It had five domes, but their exterior profile was low, unlike the present high, onion-shaped structures.<ref>Howard (2002) pp. 19–21, 24</ref>