San Marco Evangelista al Campidoglio, Rome
San Marco is a titular basilica in Rome dedicated to Saint Mark the Evangelist, located in the small Piazza di San Marco adjoining Piazza Venezia. It was first consecrated in 336 by Pope Mark and rebuilt in its present form in 833 by Pope Gregory IV. Today, the basilica is the national church of Venice in Rome.
History
Earlier buildings
According to the Liber pontificalis, Pope Mark established a basilica in a place called ad Pallacinas in 336. This first church was built atop preexisting, pre-Constantinian structures of unknown date or function, but excavations in the mid-20th century revealed a surviving ancient Roman mosaic with acanthus vine-scroll ornamentation underneath the present-day basilica's right aisle. Pope Mark's first church incorporated walls from this earlier structure, and featured a new colonnade, opus sectile pavements, and frescoed walls, of which a small fragment depicting several horses survives underneath the present-day basilica. The synod of Pope Symmachus in 499 records the church as Titulus Marci. It is likely that the previous ancient Roman structure was initially a residence owned by Pope Mark, who then gifted the property to a Christian congregation within the first few months of his papacy. Archaeological excavations further revealed burned marble and ash deposits on the pavement, which provide evidence that the first church was likely destroyed in a fire.A second church was built possibly in the second half of the 6th century, but the lack of archaeological evidence and written records make it difficult to properly date. The floor was placed one meter above the first church's floor, possibly to protect the structure against flooding, which was common in medieval Rome. This second church followed the first church's floor plan, only with the addition of a chancel enclosure that divided the nave and provided space for the Schola Cantorum. The Liber pontificalis notes that Pope Adrian I made repairs to the second church's roof and aisles, and provided the basilica with altar cloths, curtains, and seven gold chalices.
Present-day basilica
According to the Liber pontificalis, Pope Gregory IV saw the ruinous state of the second church and decided to have it demolished in 833 to rebuild the basilica now seen today. The new church's floorplan also aligns with the prior churches, with two aisles flanking a nave that terminates in an apse. The floor consists of large blocks of tufa that were likely part of the Servian walls. Gregory IV's unique contributions to this rebuilding was the monumental apse mosaic, the annular crypt, and the clerestory.The apse mosaic is the best surviving element of the Gregory IV's resconstruction in 833. It depicts Jesus in the center with Pope Mark, St. Agapetus, and St. Agnes to his left and St. Feliccissimus, Gregory IV, and St. Mark the Evangelist to his right. All seven figures stand against a solid golden backdrop standing atop pedestals with inscriptions identifying the figures. Below the figures, twelve lambs representing the Twelve Tribes of Israel, lead out of Bethlehem and Jerusalem and surround the Lamb of God. On the apsidal arch, St. Peter and St. Paul stand beneath the roundels of Christ and the Four Evangelists.
The Latin dedicatory inscription running along the bottom of the apse mosaic reads:
English translation:
The huge supports of the apse, which shine like Solomon's temple beneath the stars, rests on a solid foundation. These things, O Mark, the pope with the distinguished name of Gregory IV has made for you and in your own honor. And you pray that God may grant him a long life on earth and after death lead him to the stars of heaven.
The choice to position Mark the Evangelist in the composition in the place traditionally reserved for St. Peter appears to be an intentional subversion of established apse mosaics depicting groups of saints with the donor pope. Art historian Claudia Bolgia suggests that the translation of Mark's relics from Alexandria to St. Mark's Basilica in Venice in 830–31 had an influence on Pope Gregory IV's decision to depict himself in relationship to this particular evangelist. Furthermore, the inclusion of Sts. Agapetus and Feliccissimus may refer to Gregory IV having recently sent their relics to a Bavarian monastery. Therefore, the apse mosaic evokes the spiritual presence of these saints, despite their relics physically existing outside of Rome and, therefore, the immediate jurisdiction of the Holy See. While papal self-representation in apse mosaics was fairly common in the ninth century, Pope Gregory IV's inclusion in at San Marco speaks to his desire to establish papal authority in the city.
Further changes were made to the church throughout the 12th century, with the addition of a Romanesque campanile above the southern end of the nave, sculptural work around the main southern portal, and a new ciborium above the high altar. From 1465–70, Pope Paul II renovated the church's façade according to the Renaissance taste, with a two-storied portico and loggia, using marbles taken from the Colosseum and the Theater of Marcellus. It was at this time that the church was incorporated into the Palazzo Venezia complex, and the clerestory windows were enlarged and ornamented with Gothic tracery, a common feature of Quattrocento Roman architecture. Inside, the wooden ceiling with the emblem of Pope Paul II is one of only two original 15th-century wooden ceilings that can be seen in Rome today. In 1564, Pope Pius IV gave the Republic of Venice control over most of Palazzo Venezia to use as its embassy, thereby making the basilica the national Venetian church in Rome.
During the early modern period, the church's interior underwent two major redecoration campaigns in the Baroque style. From 1654–57, Niccolò Sagredo commissioned Orazio Torriani to redecorate the colonnade with regularized Ionic capitals and white-washed shafts. Then, from 1732–54, Cardinal Angelo Maria Quirini commissioned Filippo Barigioni to redesign the high altar and choir stalls. Paintings and sculptures by Baroque and Neoclassical artists, such as Pier Francesco Mola, Guillame Courtois, Palma il Giovane, Luigi Primo, Carlo Maratta, Cosimo Fancelli, and Antonio Canova can be found in throughout the nave of the present-day church.
In 1843, Gregory IV's annular crypt, which had been closed in 1474 under Cardinal Marco Barbo, was rediscovered. Excavations in 1947–50 revealed the foundations and remnants of the earlier churchs, as well as a large cypress chest in the crypt that contained the relics of Pope Mark, St. Abdon and St. Sennen.
Cardinal priests
The following is a list of the past cardinal priests of San Marco, Rome:| Image | Name | Dates | Notes |
| Gregorio | 79720 December 827 | Elected Pope Gregory IV | |
| Adriano | 84213 November 867 | Elected Pope Adrian II | |
| Guido di Castello | December 111326 September 1143 | Elected Pope Celestine II | |
| John of Anagni | 1168–1190 | ||
| Rolando Bandinelli | 11517 September 1159 | Elected Pope Alexander III | |
| Goffredo Castiglione | 18 September 12271239 | Appointed Bishop of Sabina, later elected Pope Celestine IV | |
| Pietro Peregrosso | 12891 August 1295 | Died | |
| Giovanni Gaetano Orsini | 16 September 131727 August 1335 | Died | |
| Bertrand de Déaulx | 18 December 1338 – 4 November 1348 | Appointed Bishop of Sabina | |
| Francesco degli Atti | 23 December 135625 August 1361 | Died | |
| Jean de Blauzac | 17 September 13611372 | Appointed Bishop of Sabina | |
| Pierre Amiel de Sarcenas | 18 December 137910 August 1389 | Died | |
| Giovanni Fieschi | 1390December 1381 | Died | |
| Ludovicio Donato | 13821385 | Died | |
| Angelo Correr | 12 June 140530 November 1406 | Elected Pope Gregory XII | |
| Antonio Calvi | 2 July 14092 October 1411 | Died | |
| Guillaume Fillastre | 6 June 14116 November 1428 | Died | |
| Angelotto Fosco | 19 September 14316 November 1428 | Died | |
| Pietro Barbo | 16 June 145130 August 1464 | Elected Pope Paul II | |
| Marco Barbo | 2 October 14672 March 1491 | Died | |
| Lorenzo Cibo de Mari | 14 March 149121 December 1503 | Died | |
| Domenico Grimani | 25 December 150327 August 1523 | Died | |
| Marco Cornaro | 14 December 152320 May 1524 | Appointed Bishop of Albano | |
| Francesco Pisani | 3 May 152721 June 1564 | Resigned | |
| Luigi Cornaro | 21 June 15642 June 1568 | Opted for the titulus of S. Vitale | |
| Luigi Pisani | 2 June 15683 June 1570 | Died | |
| Luigi Cornaro | 9 June 157010 May 1584 | Died | |
| Giovanni Francesco Commendone | 14 May 158426 December 1584 | Died | |
| Agostino Valier | 14 January 15851 June 1605 | Appointed Bishop of Palestrina | |
| Giovanni Delfino | 1 June 160523 June 1621 | Translated to San Girolomo dei Croati | |
| Matteo Pruilli | 23 June 162113 March 1624 | Died | |
| Pietro Valier | 18 March 16249 April 1629 | Died | |
| Federico Cornaro | 26 April 162919 November 1646 | Translated to Santa Maria in Trastevere | |
| Marcantonio Bragadin | 19 November 164628 March 1658 | Died | |
| Cristoforo Vidman | 1 April 165830 September 1660 | Died | |
| Pietro Ottoboni | 15 November 166013 September 1660 | Translated to Santa Maria in Trastevere | |
| Gregorio Barbarigo | 13 September 167718 June 1697 | Died | |
| Marcantonio Barbarigo | 1 July 169726 May 1706 | Died | |
| Giambattista Rubini | 25 June 170617 February 1707 | Died | |
| Giovanni Alberto Badoer | 11 July 171214 May 1714 | Died | |
| Luigi Priuli | 28 May 171415 March 1720 | Died | |
| Pietro Priuli | 6 May 172022 January 1728 | Died | |
| Angelo Maria Quirini | 8 March 17286 January 1755 | Died | |
| Carlo della Torre Rezzonico | 17 February 17556 July 1758 | Elected Pope Clement XIII | |
| Antonio Maria Pruili | 19 April 176226 October 1772 | Died | |
| Carlo Rezzonico | 14 December 177226 January 1799 | Died | |
| Ludovico Flangini Giovanelli | 2 April 180024 May 1802 | Translated to S. Anastasia | |
| Luigi Ercolani | 22 July 181610 December 1825 | Died | |
| Karl Kajetan von Gaisruck | 21 May 182919 November 1846 | Died | |
| Charles Januarius Acton | Died | ||
| Giacomo Piccolomini | 4 October 184717 August 1861 | Died | |
| Pietro de Silvestri | 27 September 186119 November 1875 | Died | |
| Domenico Bartolini | 3 April 18762 October 1887 | Died | |
| Michelangelo Celesia | 25 November 188714 April 1904 | Died | |
| József Samassa | 11 December 190520 August 1912 | Died | |
| Franz Xavier Nagl | 2 December 19124 February 1913 | Died | |
| Friedrich Piffl | 25 May 191412 April 1932 | Died | |
| Elia Dalla Costa | 13 March 193322 December 1961 | Died | |
| Giovanni Urbani | 19 March 196217 September 1969 | Died | |
| Albino Luciani | 5 March 1973 – 26 August 1978 | Elected Pope John Paul I | |
| Marco Cé | 30 June 197912 May 2014 | Died | |
| Angelo De Donatis | 28 June 2018today | Current cardinal priest |