Hints of Long-Lost Medieval Church Found in Iconic Piazza San Marco in Venice

Archaeologists have found hints of what is thought to be a long-lost medieval church in Venice's iconic Piazza San Marco square.

Traces of Long-Lost Medieval Church Uncovered

Excavations have been conducted at the site, which is also known as St. Mark's Square in the English language. Such efforts have been conducted as part of a project for the restoration of masegni paving stones.

It was through such efforts that archaeologists were able to identify a series of floor levels and walls that are thought to be those of the San Gemignano church. This was noted by the Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for the Municipality of Venice and the Lagoon.

The long-lost church was built on the site back in the early medieval period. This took place in the late fifth century and went on until the 10th century. The structure was destroyed and rebuilt in the next few centuries. Eventually, it was demolished during the early 19th century. The superintendency notes, however, that the church's exact location was lost over time.

Sara Bini, the excavation's director at the site for the superintendency, shares that archival sources informed them that at this site, even if the exact location remained unknown to them, there could have been a long-lost church that was dedicated to San Gemignano.

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Tomb & Remains Found

Aside from the uncovered floor levels and walls, archaeologists also found several human remains that were buried together within a tomb from the seventh to eighth centuries. Such findings support the hypothesis of the church.

There were seven individuals who were buried together, including a child who was around eight years old, a woman, and five more adults. The tomb's stone construction shows that these individuals could have been important people.

During medieval times, burying individuals beside or within worship places was common. It was also common for multiple deceased individuals to be placed within the tomb, though the time for doing so may not have been necessarily the same.

The superintendency notes that such findings make it likely that the floors and walls may have belonged to the long-lost medieval church. This offers researchers the chance to look into a part of one of Venice's oldest areas of worship.

The medieval church of San Gemignano already existed long before Saint Mark's Basilica was constructed and before the iconic square took shape.

Such discoveries show how Venetians in the past have been restoring, dismantling, and remaking the area of the square. The superintendency notes that Piazza San Marco was not always as it is today. It used to be extremely different, and now it is not that easy to see it with canals that cross it and churches that mark it.