The Doric arcades of the Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana, or National Library of St Mark's, built in Renaissance style in 1537-53 by Jacopo Sansovino, then extended by Vincenzo Scamozzi in 1588, on the Piazzetta San Marco, between the Piazza San Marco and the Venetian lagoon, Venice, Italy. The library houses an important collection of classical, Oriental and medieval codices and manuscripts. Through the arch is the Column of San Marco, with a statue of St Mark the evangelist in the form of a winged lion, 12th century, by Nicolo Barattieri. To the left is the Doge's Palace or Palazzo Ducale, begun 1340 and built in Venetian Gothic style. The historical centre of Venice is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Picture by Manuel Cohen
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