Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Puglia Italy - Matera
Italy • 8 days, 7 nights
Southern Italy: Castles, Caves & Coastal Treasures in Puglia
from
Turkmenistan Gates of Hell Darvaza crater
Turkmenistan • 10 days, 9 nights
Turkmenistan & the Gates of Hell
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Corniche facing east.
Umm Al Quwain Wall
‘Giant’ Marfa Mural
Approaching the tree while driving on the main road.
Remarkable Silk Cotton Tree
Key moments of the multi-day fight are recreated in the museum’s diorama.
Museo de la Batalla de Monterrey (Battle of Monterrey Museum)
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
Seafood features prominently on the menu.
Dakar NOLA
The kabrit, or twice-cooked goat, with plantains and rice and beans is essential.
Fritai
Twelve Mile Limit is the kind of bar with a whole roster of regulars.
Twelve Mile Limit
Khao soi, the popular northern Thai noodle dish, comes with a richly spiced coconut broth here.
Budsi’s Authentic Thai
Everything at Li’l Dizzy’s Cafe is served in takeout containers.
Li’l Dizzy’s Cafe
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
A listener in Toronto explored Casa Loma, and a nearby park that made the city disappear.
How the Pandemic Helped Our Listeners Rediscover Their Own Neighborhoods
about 12 hours ago
You don’t need a time machine to journey through history.
Dear Atlas: Where Can I Take a Trip Through Ancient History?
about 18 hours ago
In the 19th century, Fort Jefferson projected American power far out into the Gulf of Mexico. Its defensive moat was once patrolled by sharks.
The Hidden Graveyard of Dry Tortugas National Park
about 21 hours ago
The view from the Q’eswachaka woven suspension bridge.
This Man Rebuilds the Last Inca Rope Bridge Yearly
4 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Italy Venice St. Mark's Lost Third Column

St. Mark's Lost Third Column

Two stone columns flank the grand Venice square, but there were supposed to be three.

Venice, Italy

Added By
Michael Inscoe
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
The columns looking out over the Venetian Lagoon.   Janmad/CC BY-SA 2.5
The columns looking out over the Venetian Lagoon.   Janmad/CC BY-SA 2.5
Morning walk   cguthrie1950 / Atlas Obscura User
  Julius Spada / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
Winged Lion.   Didier Descouens/SS BY-SA 4.0
St. Mark   Didier Descouens/SS BY-SA 4.0
The columns.   By Peter J.StB.Green (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons
The columns during high tide   Jaszmina Szendrey / Atlas Obscura User
September 2017   StephenVincent / Atlas Obscura User
  rbenn250 / Atlas Obscura User
Local artist’s rendition   mocchiatto / Atlas Obscura User
May 2021 first reopening of the city after the second wave of covid 2021   Juan Pablo Pozo Hernandez / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Two stone columns flank the grand entrance to St. Mark’s Square. They’re among the first sights visitors see coming in from Venetian Lagoon off the Adriatic Sea. One features a winged lion, the symbol of St. Mark. The other holds a statue of St. Theodore, once Venice’s patron saint, standing over a dead crocodile.

The columns were erected in the mid-13th century, when the water was much closer to the square. Gambling was allowed in the space between them, and public executions were carried out there, in front of the lagoon. Now the area is filled with tourists who are likely unaware of one discrepancy: There should be three columns.

The columns arrived in Venice towards the latter half of the 12th century—more than 90 years before they likely went up. There were originally three on the ship that came in off the lagoon; one sank on the way in and no one is sure where. Worse, if it sank somewhere outside the area in front of St. Mark’s, where the lagoon’s floor is thick clay, it’s likely gone forever, swallowed up in the muddy bottom.

In 2016, researchers were given the go ahead to search for the third column, about which almost nothing is known. Is it the same size? Does it feature a statue at the top? The answers are hidden with the stone pillar. For now, one can visit the site where it could be, to admire the two surviving columns and maybe even mourn for the third, gone too soon and for too long.

Related Tags

Water Statues Columns Lost Wonders History Architecture Mystery
Atlas Obscura Adventures

Flavors of Italy: Roman Carbonara, Florentine Steak & Venetian Cocktails

Savor local cuisine across Rome, Florence & Venice.

Book Now

Community Contributors

Added By

Michael Inscoe

Edited By

erjeffery, Jaszmina Szendrey, Collector of Experiences, rbenn250...

  • erjeffery
  • Jaszmina Szendrey
  • Collector of Experiences
  • rbenn250
  • StephenVincent
  • mocchiatto
  • Juan Pablo Pozo Hernandez
  • cguthrie1950
  • Julius Spada

Published

November 8, 2017

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
St. Mark's Lost Third Column
67 Piazza San Marco
Venice
Italy
45.432977, 12.338798
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Portrait of the Four Tetrarchs

Venice, Italy

miles away

St. Mark's Clock Tower (Torre dell'Orologio)

Venice, Italy

miles away

Reliquaries of St Mark's Basilica Treasury

Venice, Italy

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Venice

Venice

Italy

Places 34
Stories 14

Nearby Places

Portrait of the Four Tetrarchs

Venice, Italy

miles away

St. Mark's Clock Tower (Torre dell'Orologio)

Venice, Italy

miles away

Reliquaries of St Mark's Basilica Treasury

Venice, Italy

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Venice

Venice

Italy

Places 34
Stories 14

Related Stories and Lists

Here Are the Mediterranean Sites That Will Be Swallowed By the Sea

floods

By Jessica Leigh Hester

The Quest to Find the Lost Column of Venice

lost wonders

By Sarah Laskow and Vittoria Traverso

Related Places

  • Mumbai, India

    Flora Fountain

    An iconic fountain dedicated to the Roman goddess Flora stands in the heart of Mumbai.

  • Remains of the flume supports

    Naples, Utah

    Dry Fork Flume Site

    This hiking trail is scattered with the remains of a failed attempt to provide water to farmers in Dry Fork Canyon.

  • View of the Jumbo Tower from Balkerne Gate

    Colchester, England

    Jumbo Water Tower

    The largest Victorian water tower in Britain.

  • Casino from the front yard

    San Pellegrino Terme, Italy

    Casino of San Pellegrino Terme

    This lavish 20th-century casino adorns labels for San Pellegrino water.

  • Column of the Goths

    Istanbul, Turkey

    Column of the Goths

    This column celebrates Rome's victory over the Goths, and may be the oldest Roman monument in Istanbul.

  • Panyer Boy stone carving.

    London, England

    Panyer Boy

    A mysterious carving from 17th-century London seemingly depicts a young boy sitting on a bread basket.

  • Narlai, India

    Narlai Stepwell

    Designed to serve primarily the Maharaja, this is an interesting variation on the traditional stepped well.

  • Casa Redonda.

    Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Casa Redonda

    A mysterious architectural gem in one of the most elegant areas of Buenos Aires.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.