SATURDAY, MAY 25, 1918.
Venice
THE W. A. RECORD.
= Fairest
3
of Fair Cities
By E. Leahy, in the "Irish Ru,ir."
a
which excesses committed by the army when ceased to think of them as living. If we could trace the beginning of the Doge Orscolo, the place in rested Constantinople was taken, the Vene- Therefore, when one day in 1295, three Evangelist the holy of body the we Venice, that fairest of fair cities, tian historian quaintly says: "The wild -looking men in Tartar dress, with so that must go back thirteen centuries grop- had been altogether forgotten; Venetians only who were of gentler flowing hair and beards, presented iging our way through the mists which the Doge Vital Falier was entirely soul took thought for the preservation themselves at the Casa Pola, claiming veil those far-off years since the en- norant of the place of the venerable light affliction, of those marvellous works of human to be those kinsmen so long believed chantress city arst rose, as it were, deposit. This was no Doge, afterwards them transporting genius, all to but the pious not only to to be dead, we cannot wonder that from the depths of the sea. at to Venice, as they did the four famous they were regarded as impostors. In the fifth century Attila with his the citizens and people; sothethat on the facade stand which now horses divine Then it was that these discredited savage hordes descended upon Italy, last, moved by confidence in to implore of the great Basilica, along with many by spreading ruin and desolation through- mercy, they determined the manifes- columns, jewels and precious stones, strangers devised a strange plan of fasting and prayer with which to convince their relatives out the land. Fleeing terror-stricken Pala the decorated they which with which did the truth of their story. They invited from the burning city of Attinum, a tation of so great a treasureany human d'oro and the treasury of San Marco." these relatives to a splendid banquet not now depend upon band of exiles sought shelter on the 1797, Napoleon took these famous In therefore being fast A general effort. three appeared in flowdreary sandy wastes scattered over the bronze horses to Paris. When Venice at which the crimson procession satin, which as inner lagoons of the Adriatic. Here, proclaimed, and a solemn ing robes of 1814 in rule under Austrian passed June, of day 25th the appointed for seated they on a marshy meadow, they built the were restored to the city. Now, in soon as their guests were they the in assembled people the while others of crimson damask, city of Torcello, seven miles from where fervent the twentieth century, once again they changed for to the be given set to Venice rose afterwards, mother and church interceded with God inthey first have been taken out of Venice, this ordering the bedaughter, as Ruskin describes them. prayers for the desired boon, as joy, to save them from Austrian servants. When the first course was time amazement much as with held. The remains of the older city can still finished, they rose from table and bombs. of a be traced. It is a subject of contro- a slight shaking in the marbles changed their dress, this time for altar In the whole history of Venice there again versy whether the Duomo of Torcello, pillar (near the place where the crimson velvet, as before giving the presently which of romance full so is now), story no Cross perhaps is the of still perfect, was built in the seventh cast-off damask robes to the servants. falling to the earth, exposed to the as that of the two brothers of the At the end of the dinner they changed, or the eleventh century. house of Polo, long famous in the re- once more, putting on plain cloth garThe old Venetian chroniclers are in view of the rejoicing people the ofchest the cords of Venetian commerce. About agreement in fixing the date of the of bronze in which the body the same as their guests. Naturthe middle of the thirteenth century ments foundation of Venice as the 25th of Evangelist was laid." enough, these strange doings as, Niccolo and Matteo Polo were at the ally March, 421. The foundations of the The Rise of the Republic. establish- tonished everyone. But the great city "were laid on the island of the The rapid rise of the Republic of head of a large mercantile climax was to come. Here we' shall let Rialto, the highest and nearest to the Venice to wealth and power, and her ment in Constantinople, presumably a the old historian tell his tale himself; Conmouth of the deep river now called proud supremacy in maritime com- branch of the house in Venice. again "When the servants had left the halt, time was the Brenta." merce, won for her many enemies. stantinople at that all its at- Messer Marco, the youngest, rising In those days St. Theodore was patron Throughout the course of her history threatened with siege and when the from the table, went into his room tendant horrors. and just of the city, and a church built in his we find her almost continually engagand brought out the three coarse cloth honour stood where now stands the ed in war with some State or other, danger was most imminent we find surcoats in which they had come home. Duomo. Even at the present day, his sometimes suffering crushing defeats, the two brothers, leaving the business And immediately the three began statue standing on a crocodile occupies and yet continually growing in wealth. in charge of another brother, setting with sharp knives to cut open the unknown a pillar in the Piazzetta facing that on In 1202, the year of the Fourth Cru- out for Central Asia. then an seams, and to tear off the lining, upon which stands the winged lion of St. sade, the Venetians fitted out a great region, but one which afforded limit - which there poured forth a great quanMark. The Great Piazza presented a tity of precious stones, rubies, sapvery different appearance then to phires, carbuncles, diamonds, and emwhat it does in these days, being a eralds, which had been sewed into each green field through which ran a small coat with great care, so that nobody stream with trees at either side. Alcould have suspected that anything ready even in that early stage of her was there. For on parting with the existence, Venice was making a name great Khan they had changed all the for herself in the world of commerce; wealth he bestowed upon them into her ships which left for foreign ports precious stones, knowing certainly with cargoes of salt, salt -fish, and other that if they had done otherwise they recommodities of home production, never could, by so long and difficult a turned laden with the wealth of the road, have brought their property East, shimmering silken tissues, rainhome in safety. The exhibition of such bow -hued carpets, and other costly an extraordinary and infinite treasure things. of jewels and precious stones which In 828 the body of St. Mark was covered the table filled all present Alexbrought with great secrecy from with such astonishment that they were andria to Venice and placed in the dumb and almost beside themselves, confessio of the private chapel attachand they at once recognised these honwhich ed to the Palace of the Doges, oured and venerated gentlemen of the had been built in 810. From that time Ca' Poli whom at first they had doubtforth the Venetians placed their city ed, and received them with the greatA under the patronage of St. Mark. est honour and reverence. And when tradition still exists that St. Mark the story was spread abroad in Venice, founded the church at Aquillia, and so the entire city, both nobles and people, of Bishop may be regarded as the first rushed to the house to embrace them the Venetian islands. and to make every demonstration of In 946, violent disturbances broke loving kindness and respect that could Pietro Doge out in Venice in which the be imagined. And Messer Matteo, who Candiano, the fourth Doge of his was the eldest, was created one of the name, lost his life, falling a victim, tomost- honoured magistrates of the the fury to son, gether with his infant city, and all the youth of Venice reINTERIOR OF ST. MARK'S, VENICE. of the populace, angered by his arrosorted to the house to visit Messer gance and his exactions. Marco." Marco, it would seem, was fell the now in people trading The choice of the expedition led by the aged Doge En- less possibilities of much given to talk of the Khan's great carpets, beautiful the East's of upon Pietro Orscolo, whom all Venice riches usually described as rico Dandolo, held in honour and respect. Orscolo's blind, although this is disputed by gorgeous stuffs, ivory furs, spices. The wealth, which he always counted by remillions in gold, for which reason, we set about as 'Bokhara, to far first act as Doge was Amidst scenes of two brothers got as some historians. building the Ducal Palace and the great enthusiasm, the fleet of three and there they remained for three are told. "the surname was given to reason to con- him of Marco Millione, which may be Shrine of St. Mark, both of which had hundred vessels, on board which were years, unable for some been destroyed in a great fire which tinue their travels or to return. At seen noted in the public books of the a number of French Crusaders, sailed republic. And the courtyard of his broke out -during the disturbances for the East. But on the way a diver- last, by great good fortune, they conwhich marked the close of his prede- sion occurred. At Zara, where they trived to reach the far distant city house from that time to this has been was vulgarly called the Corte Millione." that time Khan, at Kubla great cessor's reign. Venice had halted to punish the rebellious in- where abode theTartars in the world." lord of all the as yet a struggling State. and Doge There is a delightful touch of give trouble to ready ever habitants, Orscolo was not himself rich. But the to the Venetians, word was brought The great Eastern potentate received humour in the description of the effect ancient records of the city tell us that that Isaac, Emperor of the Greeks, the strangers with the utmost cour- of the jewels upon the relatives, caushe devoted the greater part of his pathad been dethroned by his own bro- tesy and graciousness, and displayed ing them to recognise at once "these rimony to the rebuilding of St. Mark's ther, who had blinded him and thrown the deepest interest in all they told honoured and venerated gentlemen." set He Palace. Ducal Shrine and the him of the manners and customs of But in all ages, in all lands, human him into a dungeon at Constantinople, aside eight thousand ducats a year to whilst Alexius, his young son and heir, their far-off land. But it was their re- nature is the same, and those old be spent upon the work until its com- was a wanderer through Europe. ligion which excited the Khan's Venetians are not the only ones whose were, pletion, which took eighty years. We views and sentiments have been sudFired with indignation, the French supreme interest. The Venetians are also told that he sought far and and Venetians at once sailed for Con- of course, Catholics, and the explana- denly changed by the sight of riches. near for skilled workmen. bringing 'stantinople, which they took. The old tion which they gave of their faith so years later, Marco Polo, fightthe meven from Constantinople, at blind emperor was restored to his pleased the Tartar ruler that he asked ingSome for the Republic against their that time regarded as the home of all throne, and his son Alexius was his guests to take a petition from him powerful rival Genoa, found himself the arts. He it was, say the historians, crowned in St. Sophia as his heir and to the Pope, asking for a hundred mis- with numerous other Venetians a who ordered from Constantinople the coadjutor. tri- sionaries to be sent to preach Chris- prisoner in a Genoese dungeon. During a short-lived was It world-famous Pala d'oro, the greatest umph. In less than a year nother re- tianity to his people, and he particu- the year he spent in captivity he betreasure' of St. Mark's and the most volution broke out. larly specified that these missionaries The Crusaders the time for himself and his magnificent gold altar screen in the again besieged the city, which they should be men capable of convincing guiled recounting all the fellow-prisoners world. the Tartars of the truth of what they marvels which he had seen during his found they but sacked, and took the San Marco was consecrated on murdered and his aged taught. Alexius young in those far-off years of wandering some to proaccording it travel 8th October. 1085. In these days of rapid father dead of grief and misery. Eastern lands, around which hung such historians; according to others, in vokes a smile to read that the return mystery. Marco never wearied of tellunder begun Crusade, Fourth The 1094; for a certainty the consecration such brilliant auspices, ended in dejourney occupied nearly four years. ing, nor his listeners of hearing, all took place in the reign of Vital Faliere, feat and disaster. The Doge Enrico Many unforseen obstacles arose to pre- about Kubla Khan. Amongst the Dur1096. to 1084 from of their mission, Doge was who Dandolo, who had performed miracles vent the carrying outproved a failure. prisoners there chanced to be one Rusing the long period that elapsed from of valour, died in 1205, far away from which ultimately San of consecration this, they once more ticiano, a native of Pisa, who possessthe date of the his beloved Venice, and was buried in ..otwithsanding ed some skill in writing. While Marco Marco until the final overthrow of the the Church of Sanaa Sophia in Con- turned their faces towards Kubla talked, he wrote down whit he said in beautiVenetian Republic the work of unin- stantinople. When we read of his Khan's distant city, this time accom- old French. a boy continued Marco, Niccolo's son, fying the Duomo was heroic deeds it is indeed hard to be- panied by From Those sheets of vellum, on which that time for twentyterruptedly. he of fifteen. the work lieve that at the time ofagehisofdeath we hear nothing more of were transcribed Marco's travel-stories, years It would seem that during five ninetythe great reached had Doge the acby The simple, plain narrative of what he these adventurous travellers. of rebuilding inaugurated seven. saw and heard, with here and there Pietro Orscolo (II Santa), the precise was the count of their reappearance in Venice time that at Constantinople resome wondrous legend to enliven them spot in which rested the precious The richest city in the world, a storehouse reads like a tale from the Arabian of forgotten. heard was for his hearers, formed a book of travel mains of St. Mark art, and the Nights. Nothing had been discovery is of peerless works of and which even yet is of deepest interest, manner of its miraculouschroniclers. to their city laden them for nearly twenty-five years, returned Venetians thus related by the oldundertaken by with the richest spoil. Writing of the naturally friends and kinsfolk had long so true and faithful an account is it "After the repairs