Lion of Saint Mark

The Lion of Saint Mark, representing Mark the Evangelist, pictured in the form of a winged lion, is an aspect of the Tetramorph. On the pinnacle of St Mark's Cathedral he is depicted as holding a Bible, and surmounting a golden lion which is the symbol of the city of Venice and formerly of the Venetian Republic.

It is also found in the symbol of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria. It appears in both merchant and military naval flags of the Italian Republic. The Lion of Saint Mark is also the symbol of the award of the Venice Film Festival, the "Golden Lion", and of the insurance company Assicurazioni Generali.

Symbolism

The representation as a lion is derived from Mark's description of John the Baptist as "...The voice of the one who cries in the wilderness: Prepare Ye the way of the Lord, make straight his paths", which artists compared to a roaring lion."St. Mark the Apostle, the Founder of the Coptic Church", Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States
/ref> The wings come from Ezekiel 1:10 and the application of the prophet's vision of four winged creatures to the evangelists. These appear again in Revelation 4:7.

A second connection of Mark and lions comes from a tale recounted by Severus Ebn-El-Mokafa: "Once a lion and lioness appeared to John Mark and his father Arostalis while they were traveling in Jordan. The father was very scared and begged his son to escape, while he awaited his fate. John Mark assured his father that Jesus Christ would save them and began to pray. The two beasts fell dead and as a result of this miracle, the father believed in Christ."

In some depictions the lion rests his front paws on the ground, often in cities with rivers or in ones close to water, indicating the Venetian balanced power on land and sea.

Mark and Venice

Venetian tradition states that when Mark was traveling through Europe, he arrived at a lagoon in Venice, whereby an angel appeared to him and said, "" ("Peace be with thee, O Mark, my evangelist. Here thy body will rest."). This tradition was used as justification by Rustico da Torcello and Bon da Malamocco in 828 for stealing the remains of Mark from his grave in Alexandria, and moving them to Venice, where they were eventually interred in the Basilica of St. Mark.

A fifteen-foot bronze statue of a lion stands atop a column of Egyptian granite in St. Mark's Square. It was brought to the lagoon during the 12th century, and remained there until Napoleon moved it to Paris. Returned in 1815, it fell and was rebuilt. It was moved from its pedestal only at the end of the 1800s for restoration and during the Second World War for safekeeping. The Lion underwent careful restoration work in the 1990s."St Mark’s Small Square"
Meraviglie di Venezia, Regione del Veneto Restorers believe its body is roughly 2,300 years old.Wills, Garry

''The New York Times'', September 30, 2001

There are also lions carved in relief on the façade of the Doge's Palace, and at the Scuola Grande di San Marco The coats of arms of Popes Pius X, John XXIII, and John Paul I contain the Lion of St. Mark in recognition of their previous positions as Patriarchs of Venice.

It is also visible in several places in the Giuliano-Dalmata area of Rome (including the church of San Marco Evangelista in Agro Laurentino), which was settled by refugees from the Julian March (formerly Venetian territory) after the Second World War.

The name of the Lion of Saint Mark in the Venetian language is .

Depictions

The Venetian lion appears in two distinct forms. One is as a winged animal resting on water, to symbolise dominance over the seas, holding St. Mark's Gospel under a paw. These animals can be seen all around the Mediterranean, usually on top of a classical stone column.Robinson, Myra, "The Lions of Venice"
, ''Italy Magazine'', July 14, 2011
The other form is known as the lion "in moleca", in the form of a crab. Here the lion is depicted full-faced with its wings circled around the head and resembling the claws of a crustacean. It is emerging from water, so that the lion "in moleca" is associated with the lagoon and the city, whereas the standing winged lion is thought to be more associated with Venetian territory around the Mediterranean.

The Latin words engraved on the book are ''Pax Tibi Marce Evangelista Meus'', which means ''Peace unto you, Mark, my Evangelist''.

Other elements often included in depictions of the lion include a halo over his head, a book, or a sword in its paws.

In British heraldry, "Lion of St. Mark" is commonly used to refer to all winged lions. These figures are depicted in arms as both passant and, more commonly, sejant, and also appear as supporters. The heraldist Arthur Charles Fox-Davies, however, defined the true Lion of St. Mark as being one used specifically within religious badges to signify the saint, and to have a halo.Arthur Fox-Davies, ''A Complete Guide to Heraldry'', T.C. and E.C. Jack, London, 1909, 185-186, https://archive.org/details/completeguidetoh00foxduoft.

Gallery

File:Flag of the Republic of Venice (Mid-14th century).svg, Flag of the Republic of Venice (mid-14th century)
File:Flag of Republic of Venice (1659-1675).svg, Flag of the Republic of Venice
File:Flag of Veneto.svg, Flag of the Veneto Region
File:CoA Città di Venezia.png, Arms of Venice
File:Naval jack of Italy.svg, Jack of the Italian Navy
File:MBoschini Il regno tutto di Candia.jpg, 1651 map depicting the Lion of St Mark over Crete
File:Venetian medal conquest of Moreas.jpg, Medal for the conquest of the Morea by Francesco Morosini
File:Flag of the Republic of San Marco.svg, Flag of the Republic of San Marco (1848)
File:Wappen von Oberickelsheim.png, Arms of Oberickelsheim
File:John paul 1 coa.svg, Coat of Arms of Pope John Paul I
File:Coat of Arms of the Republic of Venice.svg, Coat of Arms of the Republic of Venice and present Coat of Arms of Venice
File:Lion of Saint Mark.svg, Lion of St. Mark seen on the Venetian Coat of Arms
File:Wappen Marxzell.svg, Arms of Marxzell
File:Blason de la ville de Saint-Marc-Jaumegarde (13).svg, Arms of Saint-Marc-Jaumegarde
File:Flag of the Septinsular Republic.svg, Flag of the Septinsular Republic
File:Flag of the United States of the Ionian Islands.svg, Flag of the United States of the Ionian Islands
File:Lion of St Mark, Famagusta.jpg, Lion of St. Mark in Othello Castle in Famagusta, Cyprus
File:San_Marco_cathedral_in_Venice.JPG, Detail of the rooftop of St Mark's Cathedral in Venice.
File:Chioggia_Porta_Santa_Maria_R06.jpg, Lion of Saint Mark on the ''Porta di Santa Maria'' in Chioggia
File:Lion of St Mark outside Bishop's Palace -- Galveston, Texas.jpg, Lion of St Mark outside Bishop's Palace -- Galveston, Texas
File:אריה מכונף על חלק העליון של הבניין גנרלי.JPG, Lion of St. Mark with plaque atop the Generali Building in Jerusalem
File:Ansaldo SVA5 11721 (6401327535).jpg, Lion of St. Mark from the Ansaldo SVA aircraft of the 87ma squadriglia ''La Serenissima'', made famous for the Flight over Vienna.
File:U.S. Army Africa Shoulder Sleeve Insignia.svg, United States Army Africa Insignia in Caserma Ederle
File:332shoulderinsignia.jpg, Sleeve insignia of the US 332nd Infantry Regiment (United States), which served alongside Italian troops in WW1

References

External links

"Of Lions and Books (and Swords)"
an in-depth article about iconography of Lion of St Mark, explaining different meanings of open and closed books.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lion of St Mark
Culture in Venice
History of Venice
Lions in heraldry
Mythological lions
Animals in the Bible