The Tragic Past of the Horses of St. Mark’s

When people ask me what I love most about writing, I always give them the same answer: research! 

A lot of people scratch their heads when I say that, but it’s true. How else would I be able to interview a gondolier or justify spending five months living in a Venetian palace? It's for research, hello!

Along the way, I have learned so much, not only about Venice, but about art, languages, and some of my favorite places on earth (the Venetians had really good taste). I have also learned about some things that bothered me—and the story about how these beautiful horses came to sit above the entrance to St. Mark’s Basilica is one of them. 

I’ll begin by saying that I have noticed two patterns throughout much of history:

1. There are a lot of baddies that get a lot of page time.

2. A lot of people stole a whole lotta stuff from other people.

And that’s kinda what happened here.

Well over a thousand years ago, the Roman Empire was the most powerful empire on earth. In its heyday, it included around 20% of the people on earth, and it extended from Europe to the Middle East, Asia, and North Africa. From Switzerland to Egypt, Belgium to Morocco, the Romans covered a lot of ground. 

Back to our horses…

These magnificent statues once belonged to a great city called Constantinople (Kon-stan-tee-NO-puhl), which today is known as Istanbul. Constantinople (we’ll call it the Great City from now on) had become the capital of the eastern Roman Empire and was famous for many things, including:

• Having more art than all the cities of Europe combined.

• An arena called the Hippodrome, where they would race chariots.

• Having the largest population in the Western world.

• Being invincible against would-be invaders.

• Being the home of Christianity.

But across the way in Venice, a man named Enrico Dandolo was weaving together a devious plan to take over the Great City. And in the year 1204, he did just that.

In what is now known as the Fourth Crusade, Dandolo formed a giant fleet of naval ships and thousands of soldiers, and they invaded the Great City by sea and land. Along with many other glorious pieces of art that were stolen by these Crusaders were the four horses that sat above the marvelous entrance to the Hippodrome (or on the outside of the Emperor’s box, depending on who you believe).

When the Crusaders set sail for Venice, the horses still had their harnesses. But once they arrived in the Floating City, the Venetians removed them to signal their independence, and the horses have remained there ever since.

Today, the Great City goes by the name Istanbul and is the largest city in modern-day Turkey. The Hippodrome, where great chariots once raced, is now a large public square, and just three pieces of art from what was once an open-air museum remain in a nearby park.

As for our horses? They have been in Venice ever since. Sometimes, when the fog settles in over San Marco Square, and the globe-shaped lights of the arcades burst to life, I swear I can hear them whinnying as they ready to stampede off across the bruise-colored lagoon and find their way home.