History of Venice from 1100 to 1130

1100

Fighting in the Holy Land and capture of the castle of Caffa (Haifa) and also capture of Jaffa.

Date of the first mosaics in St. Mark's Basilica. Numerous relics are brought back from the Holy Land, including the remains of St. Nicholas, protector of sailors and the oppressed. His body was laid to rest in the Church of St. Nicholas on the Lido.

1102

Assassination of Doge Vitale Michiel I and election of Doge Ordelafo Falier as his successor.

1104

Construction of the first part of the Venice Arsenal. The Venetians capture Ptolemais in the Holy Land.

1105

Terrible fire in Venice, destroying in particular the church of San Lorenzo, built in 809.

The church of San Trovaso and many other churches were destroyed in the fire.

Significant embellishment of the Pala d'Oro (St. Mark's Basilica) on the initiative of Doge Ordelafo Falier. The old village of Malamocco disappeared in a storm and was completely swept away by the sea!

1106

New fires devastated Venice. The first fire broke out near the church of SS. Apostoli and destroyed most of six parishes. Another even more serious fire broke out on 6 April near San Lorenzo: twenty-four churches were destroyed. The Doge's Palace was also affected.

1109

Foundation of the abbey and church of San Cipriano in Murano. The body of San Stefano (Saint Stephen) was laid to rest in San Giorgio Maggiore.

Following the destruction of the monastery and church in 1233, the body of San Stefano returned to Venice in the church of San Stefano and its cloister.

1110

New expeditions to the Holy Land: around a hundred Venetian ships left Venice in the summer of 1110 and dropped anchor in Palestine in October.

In Syria, the Venetians take part in the capture of Sidon with the help of an outstanding navigator from Norway, Sigurd the Norwegian, and obtain part of the city of Saint-Jean d'Acre.

1116

Expedition to Dalmatia against the Hungarians, capture of Zara.

1118

Doge Ordelafo Falier died in battle during the campaign in Dalmatia and was replaced by Domenico Michiel.

1122

New crusade: the flagship commanded by the Doge himself leaves Venice on 8 August 1122 with seventy-one warships.

From 1122 to 1124, the Venetians take part in the siege and capture of the city of Tyre and also mount an expedition against Byzantium.

1123

The Venetians defeated the Egyptian fleet at Ascalon and went to the aid of Jaffa, which the Caliph of Cairo, al-Amir, was attempting to recapture from the Crusaders.

1124

Conquest of the city of Tyre, which falls on 7 July 1124.

1125

Always keen collectors of relics, the relics of Saint Isidore are brought from the island of Chios in Greece to Venice.

They were placed in the Chapel of San Isidoro in the north transept of St. Mark's Basilica.

1126

Emperor Calojanni of Byzantium promulgated a new ‘golden bull’ in favour of Venetian trade. Doge Domenico Michiel brings back from Tyre a stone which, according to tradition, was used as a pulpit by Jesus Christ when he preached to the Tyrians.

This stone is used as the altar stone in the chapel of the Baptistery of St. Mark's Basilica.

1127

Doge Domenico Michiel brings back from Caesarea the two columns that now adorn St. Mark's Square. However, it is not until 1172 that they are erected in their current location.

They are a reminder of the gigantic bronze pillars erected for Solomon by Hiram of Tyre, and it is known that the Doge's Palace itself reproduces the architectural principles of King Solomon's Palace.

1128

Venice gets street lighting!

Doge Domenico Michiel decided to make the Calli safer by lighting a lamp at nightfall in each of the small altars dedicated to the Virgin Mary, known as ancone, which were placed at the corners of the canals and main Calli.

This decision made Venice the first city in Europe (apart from Constantinople) to have street lighting.

Faced with a resurgence of crime, an edict dated 1128 prohibited the wearing of false beards ‘in the Greek style’.

It seems that these beards were used by criminals to avoid recognition.

1130