DOGE'S PALACE, Carta Gate And Courtyard

The monumental entrance before you, between St. Mark's and the Doge's Palace, is the meeting point of the two main buildings of Venice. It is the rich Porta della Carta, or Carta Gate, a lavish example of late Gothic architecture and decoration that was built in the first half of the 1400s. It got its name from being the gathering place of public writers and from being near where they kept the "carte", or the archives of state documents. Above the cornice, you can see the Doge Francesco Foscari depicted, kneeling before the winged lion with his paw resting on an open book, which is the symbol of the evangelist Mark (the patron of Venice) which was adopted as the Republic's official emblem.

Now go under the entrance arch, and after passing through a long, dark portico you'll reach the bright main courtyard. This courtyard lets you admire the synthesis of the Palace's various construction phases and architectural styles that have been applied through the ages. On both sides, you can see the pointed arches of the same loggias you admired from the exterior, while a spectacular Renaissance scene can be noted at the back.

If you look at the so-called "clock façade" dominated by the domes of St. Mark's Cathedral, you can get an idea of the church's "naked" aspect where it's simply bricks without the marble cover and bas-reliefs of the main façade....