Colonna di San Marco e San Teodoro Site Features

The Lion of Venice

One column is topped by a bronze winged lion, the symbol of St. Mark the Evangelist and, by extension, of Venice itself. Recent scientific analysis of the bronze has upended assumptions about the statue's origin: isotope testing traced its copper to the Yangtze river region of China, and researchers now believe the sculpture began as a Tang-dynasty tomb guardian figure before reaching Venice sometime in the 1260s, where local artisans reworked its features -- shortening its ears, removing its horns -- and added wings to transform it into the winged lion recognized today.

The statue of San Todaro

The second column carries a statue of Saint Theodore (San Todaro), Venice's original patron saint before Saint Mark took on that role. The statue shows him standing triumphantly over a dragon (sometimes described as a crocodile), a reference to his legendary defeat of evil. Together, the two columns form a symbolic gateway to the city from the water, framing the entrance to Piazza San Marco.