The demolition of the church of San Geminiano and the perception of piazza San Marco in Venice

Abstract

Until 1807, when it was pulled down, the church of San Geminiano in Piazza San Marco acted for centuries as the centre of visual attraction of the western side of the Piazza. The church served, at the same time, as a link between the Procuratie Vecchie and Nuove which surrounded it from both sides (Fig. 1). Today, the Piazza San Marco appears as in the scheme in Fig. 2, where the hatching indicates the position of the demolished church. The story of this church would have been tormented, having undergone several rebuildings including a complete shift from its original position in twelfth century.