Snapshots On My Journey: Those Horses

It's bad enough that I haven't had time to write more but to just lose my whole post did not make me happy. Yes...here I go again and hopefully that won't happen.

E. and I went on an additional tour upstairs and what a grand view from above the Piazza San Marco in both directions. What grabbed me though was those horses. Those incredibly beautiful horses that are huge! I just wanted to climb up on one and sit astride as I looked out.

E. took this photo as I just couldn't capture them the way I wanted to.

E.'s photo

So what is the story of the horses? First of all the ones outdoors are not the originals. Those are inside which we saw as well. They were plunder taken after the Fourth Crusade from Constantinople upon the order from Venice's Doge, Enrico Dandolo. He had lost an eye in a scuffle in Byzantium and was wanting some revenge. I'll say he did. What a prize he brought back to Venice! Can you imagine the boat ride home with those horses? Quite a ruckus wild time that must have been. Apparently they had to cut the horses heads off for shipment and then restored them by adding the collars they wear now. They were placed over the main doors to the Basilica proudly looking out.

Then Napoleon stole them in 1797 and brought them triumphantly back to Paris and placed on the Arch of Triumph in the Place du Carrousel. It was said "Rome is no longer Rome, it is Paris!". I guess the Pope at that time was none to pleased. They were returned back to Venice in 1815 by the Austrians.