The office of Procurator of Saint Mark (Venetian: Procurador de San Marco) was one of the few lifetime appointments in the government of the Venetian Republic and was considered second only to that of the doge in prestige. It was routinely occupied by nobles belonging to the most influential families and typically represented the climax of a distinguished political career, although it was often an intermediate position prior to election as doge.
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Procurators of Saint Mark in the context of Basilica di San Marco (Venice)
The Patriarchal Cathedral Basilica of Saint Mark (Italian: Basilica Cattedrale Patriarcale di San Marco), commonly known as St Mark's Basilica (Italian: Basilica di San Marco; Venetian: Baxéłega de San Marco), is the cathedral church of the Patriarchate of Venice; it became the episcopal seat of the Patriarch of Venice in 1807, replacing the earlier cathedral of San Pietro di Castello. It is dedicated to and holds the relics of Saint Mark the Evangelist, the patron saint of the city.
The church is located on the eastern end of Saint Mark's Square, the former political and religious centre of the Republic of Venice, and is attached to the Doge's Palace. Prior to the fall of the republic in 1797, it was the chapel of the Doge and was subject to his jurisdiction, with the concurrence of the procurators of Saint Mark for administrative and financial affairs.
Procurators of Saint Mark in the context of House of Loredan
The House of Loredan (Italian: [lore'dan], Venetian: [loɾeˈdaŋ]) is a Venetian noble family of supposed ancient Roman origin, which has played a significant role in shaping the history of the Mediterranean world. A political dynasty, the family has throughout the centuries produced a number of famous personalities: doges, statesmen, magnates, financiers, diplomats, procurators, military commanders, naval captains, church dignitaries, and writers.
In the centuries following the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the Loredans were lords in Emilia-Romagna, from where they came to Venice in the early 11th century. Settling there, the family grew in power in the High Middle Ages, amassing great wealth on the lucrative silk and spice trade, and in the following centuries it became powerful and influential in regions across the Mediterranean, playing a significant role in shaping its history throughout the Late Middle Ages, the Renaissance and the early modern period. The family was present in virtually every home and overseas territory of the Republic of Venice, and at various points in history, its members have held titles in what are now modern countries of Italy, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro, Albania, France, Greece and Cyprus, and conducted trade operations as far as Egypt, Persia, India and China. Alongside other families of Venice's urban nobility, they played a major role in fostering mercantilism and early capitalism.
Procurators of Saint Mark in the context of Delfini (family)
The Delfin family (Dolfin in venician, sometimes Italianized as Delfin, Delfino, Delfini, and Dolfini) is a thousand-year-old noble family originally from Venice, whose origins date back to the medieval period because they were present even before the Serrata del Maggior Consiglio of 1297. Already included in the patriciate as an old house and one of the twelve apostolic families, the founders of the Venetian state, it is considered one of the richest, most powerful, and oldest in its history.
Members of the family distinguished themselves for their role in the political and military institutions of the Republic, where they acquired great prestige. One of these was, for example, Giovanni Dolfin, who served as the 56th Doge of the Republic of Venice, the only member of the family. Numerous other members of the family were men of the church in the service of the Pope as bishops, patriarchs, and cardinals. Over the centuries, the family's descendants held important political roles in the Republic, such as procurators of Saint Mark and governors of cities and lands under Venetian rule, numerous members of the Quarantia and the Senate, land and sea generals, and diplomatic roles such as bailiffs and ambassadors for most countries in continental Europe.