The Bell tower of San Marcoaffectionately known by the name of “Parón de casa” of Venice, collapse the morning of July 14, 1902, depriving the city of one of its most characteristic and representative symbols. This dramatic event was a critical moment in the history of Serenissima and in the daily lives of its inhabitants. Let’s find out together why it happened.
The story of the collapse of the Campanile of San Marco
In its most ancient form, the construction of the Campanile di San Marco dates back to Roman times. The most recent origin of the structure, which later became a bell tower, is located instead between 888 and 1032. Over the centuries it covered various roles: lookout tower, bell tower, lookout point for the frequent fires in the city and point of reference in the daily life of the Venetians, with the ticking of its clock it brought together the main commercial and administrative activities of Venice under itself.
However, in order not to remain one step behind the architectural evolution of the city and the buildings with which it shared the square (the sumptuous Basilica of San Marco and the refined Palazzo Ducale), the bell tower was subject to numerous interventions, which, accumulating, began to alter its stability and cause the crash of 1902. Structural damage was also added to the damage caused by lightning, and in the nineteenth century after the fall of the Serenissima Republic, the buildings of Venice fell into a general state of abandonment.
On July 14, 1902, with little warning other than some signs of failure that had begun days earlier, the bell tower collapsed. Luckily there were no victims, but only limited damage to the surrounding buildings, thanks to the timely evacuation of the few people present in the square. The damage was limited to the destruction of the loggia at the foot of the bell tower and a corner of the Marciana National Library.
Venice’s response
Immediately after the collapse, that same evening, the municipality met in emergency, deciding on the immediate reconstruction and allocating the funds. On 25 April 1903, on Saint Mark’s Day, the mayor of the time Filippo Grimani gave the famous speech on the occasion of the laying of the first stone: “Where it was and how it was”, a motto that fully represented the city’s desire to immediately rebuild its historical appearance. The new bell tower was inaugurated on April 25, 1912.
Although the appearance remained more or less unchanged, new construction techniques and materials were used, expanding the foundations from 220 to 410 m2 to better distribute the weight. They were also added 3,000 poles, 4 meters long. each, to the old ones planted in the ground, filling the space between one pole and another with concrete and crushed stone.
Implications of the collapse
The fall of the bell tower was a wake-up call for Venice, which highlighted the need to pay greater attention to the care of its historical monuments, also considering the peculiarity and characteristics of the site on which it stands. The collapse was therefore also a moment of reflection and an opportunity to thoroughly reevaluate how to manage the conservation of the territory and the cultural heritage of the city.
The collapse of St. Mark’s Campanile was a significant event in the history of Venice. Today, the rebuilt bell tower continues to dominate Piazza San Marcosymbol of the resilience and cultural heritage of Venice and its citizens.
