L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2017 www.italoamericano.org 12 L'Italo-Americano ELIZABETH SALTHOUSE R ome has the s he-w olf. Sicily has the 3-legged Medusa. And Turin has il toro, the bull. Up in the north- east, however, the lagoon city of Venice chose an even more exot- ic, mythical icon to symbolize its power and stature. And today, the w inged lion of S t. M ark stands guard across the city still, staring out from palace façades, pillar tops and the Venetian flag as it proudly flutters in the wind. So how did a city built on the w ater choos e this feathered feline figure as its own symbol, and what does it mean? According to local legend, refugees fleeing from successive invasions by the Germanic, Hun and Roman people founded the city of Venice on the stroke of noon, on the 25th of March of 421. Early settlers lived as fish- ermen, living off the lagoon's produce and trading precious sea salt harvested from its shallow waters. When the city began to grow, its inhabitants started to build bigger, more permanent houses. But no self-respecting Christian community of the time was any- thing without a guardian, some- one who could represent and protect the people. But whom should Venetians pick? Outsiders were to be left in no doubt that the nascent city w as under the pres erve of a potent power. A lion would have been a good choice, fiercely standing guard over the islands. The first patron of the lagoon, however, was a more traditional figure: Theodore the Martyr, a steadfast and committed early Christian put to death by fire for refusing to participate in pagan Roman rites and rituals. And there wasn't a lion in sight. In fact, Theodore was more closely associated with slaying dragons. As the decades passed, stories began to circulate linking Venice to another saint, a much more distinguished one. No one is quite sure where the legend began, nor can any- one attest to its veracity, but local tradition asserts to this day that Mark the Apostle, writer of one of the four Chris tian Gospels, once landed in Venice whilst traveling through Europe. There an angel appeared to the saint saying "pax tibi Marce, evangelista meus. Hic requiescet corpus tuum." The translation, for those of us who don't speak Latin, reads, "may Peace be with you, Mark, my evangelist. Here your body will rest." Venetians had their gold-standard patron and with him came an animal that would dominate the city for the next 1200 years: the striking winged lion of St. Mark. The ferocious feline had long been the symbol of Mark the evangelist, it was recognized around the early Christian world and a perfect adopted icon of St. Mark's Venice. But V enetians didn't jus t adopt Mark's theological puss, they set about making it their own with additional meaning. By 1177 the majestic lion was fluttering on the firs t-ever Venetian flag. It stood resplen- dent, red on a pure white or mar- itime blue background, to denote both Venice's lagoon location and its dominance over the seas. The lion flew from merchant ships and naval galleons sending the name of Venice around the A driatic S ea and beyond. It waved from flagpoles around the city, or small boats and gondolas gliding down canals. And this cat didn't just stand, he was also shown full-faced with his wings curled around his head to resemble a kind of crab emerging from the water. This variation, the lion shown "in moleca," was thought to symbol- ize the water, lagoon and island city, whilst the upright lion was often more associated with the Republic's territories. Venetians also put a winged l i o n a t o p o n e o f t w o g r a n i t e columns in front of the grand Doge's Palace around the same t i m e . I t i s p a i r e d w i t h S t . T h e o d o r e s t a n d i n g o v e r a slaughtered dragon on the other c o l u m n , a n d t h e t w o w e r e intended to welcome state visi- tors and show off the Republic's s p i r i t u a l p r o t e c t o r s i n e q u a l measure. The statue, however, isn't Venetian or Christian, or even a lion: it started life as a griffin created around 300 BC in Turkey. But just as the Republic appropriated St. Mark's lion, so it did with the griffin statue. S o o n a f t e r , l i o n s q u i c k l y started popping up in all shapes and sizes across the city. Locals added lions to their homes as protective sculptural heraldic shields, symbolic door knockers a n d e v e n w e a t h e r v a n e s . A s Venetians conquered mainland territories around Padua, Croatia and Greece, they would add their lion to key civic buildings to denote Venetian control. Lions were also looted from defeated lands as part of the s p o i l s o f w a r t o r e i n f o r c e Venice's power. Four enormous cats stand guard at the gates to the legendary Arsenale ship- yard, but just as with the sculp- ture on the column outside the Doge's Palace, none of these w a s o r i g i n a l l y S t M a r k ' s moggy. One is a 300 BC cat from Athens, another a rather melancholy kitty carved in 600 BC in Delos, Greece. They're a long way from home, but still f o r m a f u r r y f e l i n e s e n t r y against intruders to the ship- yard. And then there were the vari- ous different messages suppos- edly transmitted by the lion in different stances. A lion with its paw resting on an open Bible and a sword beside it was some- times interpreted as a symbol of peace, whilst some believed that one with a sword drawn and tail held high indicated a state at war. A closed book or a lion with both front paws resting on the ground were also said to represent justice and balanced p o w e r . B u t a s V e n i c e n e v e r documented or categorized the lion imagery, its difficult to know whether any of this was true or simply a good yarn with which to entertain grand tour v i s i t o r s a n d , l a t e r , p a c k a g e tourists. Clearly Venetians were cat p e o p l e , b u t w h e n N a p o l e o n arrived from France in 1797, he took a dislike to anything feline reminding Venetians of their old independence, and set about d e s t r o y i n g t h e l i o n s a r o u n d town. The winged statue in front o f t h e D o g e ' s P a l a c e w a s shipped to Paris. Lions proudly carved into palazzi's façades were brutally chiseled off and the red and gold Venetian flag w a s r e p l a c e d b y t h e F r e n c h T r i c o l o r . N a p o l e o n ' s r e i g n , however, was thankfully short and just twenty years later the winged statue was back on top of its granite perch, this time with its tail held high to symbol- ize Venetian victory. Today the lion flutters freely in St. Mark's Square and from homes and hotels around the city. It's the gilded symbol of Venice's fabulous film festival and the coveted prize for the winning exhibition at the art b i e n n a l e . G e o r g e a n d A m a l Clooney were even given an engraved glass lion to commem- orate their wedding in Venice, 3 years ago. And Venice's lion still adorns walls from Croatia t o V e r o n a e v e n t h o u g h t h e Republic fell more than two centuries ago. In fact it's easy to forget that it is Mark the apos- tle, not his lion, who is really the patron of the city. Clearly, this is one kitty that's here to stay: Venice's lions still roar. Venice's lions still roar the Lion became symbol of Venice because it's the symbol of its patron saint, Mark the Evangelist Venice and the Lion: a couple that lasted the test of time. The feline first appeared on Venice's flag in 1177 NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS

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