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With the rise power of the Partecipazio family (811) a fundamentally
important event occurred in the history of Venice: to protect the duchy
from possible invasions, the Partecipazio family took possession of the
Rialto islands.
Here, as a nearly irreversible choice, the building of the Palace began
immediately, which became the seat of the Doges for nearly a millennium,
despite obvious changes and extensions to the building.
Another event influenced that choice: the discovery of St. Mark's body
and its location in 829 in the adjoining ducal chapel, which gives the
area facing the lagoon its predominant feature, the place that symbolizes
the power of St. Mark.
The other growth pole of the Rialto islands, beyond the square, developing
in front of the public office buildings, was the Rialto market, which
was intended to take over completely from the "magnum emporium" of Torcello.
The still restricted area between the small square and the lagoon became
the centre of all island settlement as part of an urbanization process
that left its mark, above all, in the century to follow.
Right from the start the Piazza was, therefore, at the centre of this
unique city that was expanding where water and land meet.
The Piazza is clearly at the crossroads of the pedestrian route that starts
at Rialto and meets the Grand Canal at the point where it opens into the
lagoon basin: from a nearly natural existence, it gradually took on a
more significant and planned aspect.
But over time its function has always remained the same, even if greater
importance has been given to its status of power and representation.
Originally water covered a large area of the present Piazzetta and this
open space served as an initial landing place for the small port.
According to a later hagiography, a "concio" took place in the Piazza,
that is, a public meeting of all the lagoon's inhabitants from Capodargine
to Grado to elect the Doge and decide the most important state issues:
in fact, Venetian society soon developed a social rank that divided politics
into majores, rich men of property, controlling the salt market and actively
involved in trading, mediocres, a middle class comprising salt workers,
fishermen, ship builders and artisans and minores who already assumed
a more dependent social role. If there was a public meeting, and even
if it was formally open to everyone, it became a place where decisions
were finalised. With this "agreement", no longer a plenum, but instead
only representatives assembled for previously made decisions, an institutional
process began that led, with the increasing power of the majores, to the
"Serrata del Maggior Consiglio" (Closure of the Great Council) and to
a clear distinction between the noble oligarchy and the rest of the population.
From 900 to 1200 Venice accumulated its wealth from the sea and from its
trading and exchange with the East and the West.
We can indirectly trace this process by noting the significant changes
that took place in the Piazza at the end of the 12th century.
Until then we can see that the Piazza was a small restricted area crossed
by the Batario canal. Here a "brolo" could be found, a small herb and
vegetable garden, a sign that the city was not completely urbanized, as
we know it today.
At the end of the 1200s, the Ducal Palace building was enlarged, although
it was not of the same dimension as it is today, the present Basilica
building was completed, the canal was filled in and a brick herringbone
pavement was laid, which can still be seen today in some Venetian courtyards.
The Piazza's dimensions largely resembled those of today: the Campanile
was built, a one-time lookout and observation tower over the lagoon, while
the Piazzetta was taking shape in front of the Palace towards the quay.
Here, on colossal columns brought from the Orient were placed the lion
of St. Mark on one side and the figure of Todero (St. Theodore) on the
other, the first patron saint of the Venetians before St. Mark.
Around the Piazza new buildings sprang up and in particular, Procuratie
Vecchie, as clearly depicted in the painting by Gentile Bellini that illustrates
the existing scene in the Piazza in 1496. The term "Procuratie" comes
from the appointing of the Procurator of St. Mark. With the increasing
number of Venetian courts, these magistrates assumed a role of great prestige
and importance and were thus allocated the buildings around the Piazza
as residences. The Procurators were divided into "de supra" for the Basilica
and related buildings and "de citra" or "de ultra" depending on which
of the two banks of the Grand Canal they presided over.
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