St Mark's Clock tower, St Mark's Square, Venice
St Mark’s Clocktower
Torre dell’Orologio
The Clock Tower is an early Renaissance building, both the tower and the clock date from the last decade of the 15th century.
About the Torre dell’Orologio
Built between 1496 and 1499, St Mark’s Clocktower is on the north side of St Mark’s Square. The design and features are fascinating.
The clock itself was designed by Zuan Carlo Rainieri. As well as looking impressive, it served a practical purpose. Boats leaving Venice relied on its ability to keep precise time in deciding when to set sail.
In the 1800s the clock became the official timekeeper for Venice with all clocks and timepieces being set to match its time.
On top of the Clock Tower, there are two statues representing an old and a young Moor, which symbolize time passing by. Every day at every hour, they hit the bell with their heavy hammers, as they have been doing it since the day they were installed.
The Venetians knew how to make a statement and St Marks Clock Tower (Torre dell’Orologio) was just that, a show of the power and riches of Venice.
St Mark’s Clocktower Page Index
Clocktower Information, Tickets & Opening Times
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ST MARK’S CLOCKTOWER |
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Opening Times opening times vary depending upon the language of the tour. |
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Warnings The clocktower is not accessible to disabled people, those with walking difficulties and the visit is not recommended for pregnant women or for those who suffer from claustrophobia, vertigo, heart conditions or respiratory diseases.No under 6 year olds. |
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Admission Fee: Adult: €15,00, Students €11,00, over 65 €11,00. View this page to book |
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Tours: Booking a tour is the only way to see inside the tower. The tours are in English, French and Italian. |
Getting to The Clocktower
Image: The Winged Lion By Didier Descouens – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link
Vaporetto Stop & Walking Information
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Walking From Times Rialto Bridge, 10 minutes / Ferrovia (train station), 30 minutes *All times approximate |
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Nearest Waterbus Vaporetto Stop San Zaccaria – 4 mins / San Marco (Vallaresso) – 5 mins View our vaporetto/waterbus timetables here ➤ Buy vaporetto/waterbus tickets ➤ |
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Google Map Location |
The Passing of Time & Winged Lion
Image: By © Marie-Lan Nguyen / Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain, Link
The Passing of Time
On a terrace at the top of the tower are two great bronze figures (Moors), hinged at the waist, which strike the hours on a bell. One is old and the other young, to show the passing of time. The bell is original and is signed by Simeone Campanato, who cast it at the Arsenal in 1497. More about Moors on our Campo dei Mori page here.
The Winged Lion
Below this level is the winged Lion of Saint Mark with the open book, before a blue background with gold stars. There was originally a statue of the Doge Agostino Barbarigo (Doge 1486–1501) kneeling before the lion, but in 1797, after the city had surrendered to Napoleon, it was removed by the French, who were purging the city of all symbols of the old regime.
Virgin & Child and the Three Kings
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Virgin & Child
Below again, is a semi-circular gallery with statues of the Virgin and Child seated, in gilt beaten copper. On either side are two large blue panels showing the time: the hour on the left in Roman numerals and the minutes (at 5 minute intervals) on the right in Arabic numerals.
The Three Kings
Twice a year, at Epiphany (6 January) and on Ascension Day (the Thursday 40 days after Easter, counting both days), the three Magi, led by an angel with a trumpet, emerge from one of the doorways normally taken up by these numbers and pass in procession round the gallery, bowing to the Virgin and child, before disappearing through the other door.
The Clock and Zodiac
The Clock & Zodiac
The great clock face in blue and gold inside a fixed circle of marble engraved with the 24 hours of the day in Roman numerals.
A golden pointer with an image of the sun moves round this circle and indicates the hour of the day.
Within the marble circle beneath the sun pointer are the signs of the zodiac in gold (these are original and date from the 1490s), which revolve slightly more slowly than the pointer to show the position of the sun in the zodiac.
In the middle of the clockface is the earth (in the centre) and the moon, which revolves to show its phases, surrounded by stars which are fixed in position. The background is of blue enamel.
Download the Clocktower Brochure
Venice Museums have produced an informative guide to the Torre dell’Orologio.
The guide covers the history of the clocktower, the design of it, along with general information.
The guide is 4.4mb download in PDF format.
St Mark’s Clocktower Questions
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Tips & Advice for Visiting St Mark’s Clocktower
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Do I need to prebook a ticket Yes you do. You can book on this page. |
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What is the Best Time to Visit There is no ideal time. On some days there are three tours, on others, one tour |
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How Long Does it Take to Visit? About an hour |
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Tours & Tickets The pre-booked tickets must be collected from the ticket office of the Correr Museum. They’re pretty strict on timings so make sure you are there well before your tour. |
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Other Tours The Venice Morning Walking Tour is a great introduction to Venice, St Mark’s and the Clocktower. |
Hotels Nearby
Link to: Hotel Londra Palace
Londra Palace *****
Five star hotel 400 meters from the Doge’s Palace
Link to: Unahotels Ala Venezia
Ale Venezia ***
Three star hotel close to La Fenice in San Marco
Link to: Hotel Gritti Palace
Gritti Palace *****
One of the most exclusive hotels in Venice
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