Campanile di San Marco

The Campanile di San Marco is the bell tower of the Cathedral of San Marco, the Cathedral of Pordenone. The bell tower is located a few meters away from the church, in Piazza San Marco, near the southern end of Corso Vittorio Emanuele II.

SHORT HISTORY

The construction of the bell tower was begun in 1291 and completed in 1347, up to the belfry. The following year, an earthquake caused the collapse of the four large corner capitals adorning the belfry.

Until 1544, the ground floor of the bell tower was used as a prison.

In 1820, an order was issued to destroy the tower for safety reasons, but fortunately the order was not carried out. In 1862, the tower was coated with iron, and a few years later, in 1888, it was completely renovated.

Other consolidation works were carried out after the earthquake of 1976.

ARCHITECTURE

The bell tower is built entirely in terracotta, in Romanesque-Gothic style. The square body of the tower is defined by pilasters and corner pillars ending with blind round arches, up to the upper block marked by bands of rich horizontal decorations. Above the belfry, there is an octagonal cusp surmounted by a golden nut.

The bellfry houses six bells, one added in 1627, and the rest in 1991, the date of the last restoration of the tower, carried out at the will of Pope John Paul II, who visited the city in the following year. The visit of the Sovereign Pontiff is remembered by a bronze bas-relief, placed inside the bell tower, work of the sculptor Fiorenzo Bacci.

HOW TO GET THERE

The Campanile di San Marco is located about 600 meters away from the Pordenone railway station. The closest bus stop is in Via Riviera del Pordenone, about 150 meters away, on the bus Lines 2, 3, 4, 5/, 6 and 7.