Pala d'Oro - Photo: Cat Bauer (taken with permission)

(Venice, Italy) There is usually a long, winding line of hundreds of tourists waiting to get into the Basilica of San Marco in Piazza San Marco. The wait -- about 45 minutes -- is much longer than the visit -- about ten minutes (as part of a shuffling horde) if you don't pay to "skip the line," or pay for a guide.

However -- to focus on reality -- St. Mark's Basilica is one of the most magnificent places of worship on the planet. Attending Vespers, or Evening Song, on August 15th, the high holy day of the Feast of the Assumption, is an opportunity to experience the divine feminine nature of Venice. It is the day that the Virgin Mary was assumed body and soul into heaven, and has been captured by some of the world's most celebrated artists -- the most famous being Titian's Assumption masterpiece in the Frari.

Tintoretto's Assumption is in the Scuola Grande di San Rocco. Veronese's Assumption of the Virgin is in the Accademia. The divine female is brought to life in music by the compositions of Monteverdi and Vivaldi.

The celebration of the feast has long had a special significance in Venice, and it is fascinating to think that the Venetian culture, despite its reputation for being Sin City, was also capable of elevating femininity to something sacred.

Line outside Baslica di San Marco - Photo: Cat Bauer

When I arrived at the Basilica, there was only one other worshiper inside -- a nun dressed in amber-tinted white. I listened to the organ chords booming off the walls while gazing upon the Pala d'Oro. A gentle breeze blew throughout the immense church; the evening sun illumined the golden mosaics. The nun and I were eventually joined by a handful of other worshipers. The entire congregation consisted of about ten people.

Madonna Nicopeia - Photo: Cat Bauer

The ceremony is utterly beautiful, with hymns and incense, and a procession that ends in front of one of Venice's most sacred icons, and my person favorite, the Madonna Nicopeia. It is a way to experience the Basilica of San Marco with genuine reverence for the beauty of the structure, and to gain a deeper understanding of the soul of Venice.

That the Feast of the Assumption falls on the same day as the pagan holiday Ferragosto, introduced by the Roman Emperor Augustus in 18 AD to celebrate the goddess Diana, and to give his citizens a bit of a vacation, is something to ponder.

I write about this pagan-sacred holiday nearly every year. Here is an early one, from 2008, ten years ago:

Mary Ascends to Heaven and Pala D'Oro, The Golden Cloth - Venice

Ciao from Venezia,
Cat Bauer
Venetian Cat - The Venice Blog