International congress of byzantine studies belgrade, 22 27 august 2016

Daniele Dibello
University of San Marino, Montegiardino, Republic of San Marino /
Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium; 
[e-mail]
The Art of Mystifying: The Venetian Chronicles and Events that Never Happened
It is well known how Venetian chronicles are characterised, since their origins, by a lucid 
ability to talk about events and characters so that the image of 
aurea Venecia
could always shine. 
This practice is summarized in the so-called ‘myth of Venice’, and it has contributed so much to 
the progress of the studies in the second half of XXth century. But, how were the chronicles able, 
more concretely, to propose to the world a diferent reconstruction of the events compared to 
reality? Which were the values reafrmed strongly in the chronicles for passing over in silence or 
diminishing the importance of adverse facts? For this reason, I will consider three events, three 
crises that seriously jeopardized the Venetian State (Querini-Tiepolo’s conspiracy, Marino Falier’s 
treason and the forced removal of doge Francesco Foscari). After a brief historical overview of these 
tragic moments, I will analyse their variations as suggested in the Venetian chronicles in the XIVth 
and XVth centuries, by drawing atention to the political and cultural dynamics put in motion by 
chroniclers to transfgure the reality in myth.
Elena Ene Draghici-Vasilescu
University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom; 
[e-mail]
The Church of San Marco in the Eleventh Century
In 1084 the most important of the few consecrations of St Mark’s church in Venice – that which 
solemnized the completion of its largest altar – took place. It is assumed that the Doge Dominico 
Selvo (1071-1084) assigned Byzantine mosaicists to finish the decorative programme in time for the 
respective event. In part because of the beauty and quality of their work way they created by them, 
the eleventh century saw the prestige of this Venetian shrine increase. Also what in the popular 
imagination was the miraculous appearance of the relics of its patron saint from a pillar (either in 
1084 or 1094, according to the source used) further augmented it.
The article attempts to prove that the eleventh century was the most important period of 
the medieval Venetian church that was to become much later the cathedral San Marco. It will 
venture a description of it not only on the basis of its similarities, claimed by most scholars, with 
the Apostoleion church in Constantinople, but also using information from extant documents as 
well as results of new archaeological discoveries, especially those published in the catalogue of 
the exhibition organised by its Procuratoria between July and November 2011, in Ken Dark and 
Ferudun Özgümüş’s works, and in other sources.”

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