what's behind the altar
The Pala d'Oro and the crypt, explained
What the gold altarpiece is made of, and what the crypt below it once held.
Reserve your evening inside St Mark's ↗The Pala d'Oro, by the numbers
| Detail | Figure |
|---|---|
| Installed | 1105, ordered from Constantinople |
| Size | 334cm wide by 212cm tall |
| Enamel plaques | 187 |
| Gems set into it | Close to 2,000, including pearls, garnets and emeralds |
| Final frame added | 1342, in a Gothic style |
A commission from Constantinople
Doge Ordelafo Faliero had the altarpiece expanded and installed behind the high altar in 1105; an earlier, smaller version had already been commissioned by Doge Pietro Orseolo in 976.
Gold, silver and nearly 2,000 gems
The finished altarpiece combines gold and silver with 187 enamel plaques and close to 2,000 gemstones — pearls, garnets, emeralds, sapphires and amethysts among them.
Finished in 1342
Goldsmith Giovanni Paolo Boninsegna completed the altarpiece with its Gothic frame and a further round of gems in 1342, two centuries after it was first installed.
The crypt it sits above
Below the high altar lies the crypt, built to hold St Mark's relics from the 1094 consecration until the relics were moved to the high altar itself in 1835.
Flood-marked walls
Both the crypt and the lower walls nearby carry marks from historic high water, left in place rather than restored away.
Which tours include it
The Pala d'Oro and the crypt are both part of the VIP and LivTours evenings; the hero tour's basilica visit doesn't stop at the altarpiece.