Doge
Sebastiano
Ziani
ARCHITECT OF VENICE
“Statesman, diplomatist and builder, Sebastiano Ziani proved himself to be a constitutional reformer of rare ability.”
Ziani receives the white taper from Pope Alexander III
Sebastiano Ziani accepted his election as Doge despite his predecessor being chased through the streets and brutally stabbed to death by political opponents. The first choice for doge had politely declined. Afterward it was made illegal to decline.
Ziani was known as the richest man in Venice. Upon his coronation he initiated the custom of showering the celebratory crowds with newly minted gold coins bearing his likeness (a custom of Eastern emperors).
His wealth was legendary, but more importantly Ziani was a man with a vision and he delivered on that vision, often out of his own purse, gifting Venice in perpetuity with the timeless icons of the Serene Republic: St. Mark’s Square, the Piazzetta, the columns that create a monumental gateway to the city, and the Doge’s Palace. (See St. Mark’s Square)
Doge Ziani (left) hands Frederick Barbarossa, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, over to Pope Alexander III for his act of submission to papal authority.
“[Ziani] added to the international prestige of the Venetian doge and the Venetian Commune by conducting intricate foreign affairs in such a way as to enjoy the confidence of both pope and emperor, in spite of their being at war with each other for years. He arranged for them both to come to Venice to conclude a truce. This famous meeting of the German emperor Frederick Barbarossa and Pope Alexander III in 1177 with the doge of Venice in the role of a sovereign independent power acting as peacemaker was the climax of Sebastiano Ziani’s career.”
By supporting the fugitive Pope Alexander III against Frederick Barbarossa, the Holy Roman Emperor, Doge Ziani gained a lasting place not only in history books and the popular imagination, but also in the ceremonial imagery of the city. As a result of the Peace of Venice which he facilitated between the Pope and the Emperor, the Pope gave him several symbolic gifts associated with recognition and privilege.
With a gold ring the Pope took from his own finger and gave to the Doge, Ziani performed the annual ritual marriage of Venice to the Sea during the festival of the Ascension. The act, sanctioned by the Pope, gave legitimacy to Venice’s claim of dominion over the Adriatic. Each year the Doge sailed to the mouth of the lagoon and threw a consecrated ring into the Adriatic with these words: "Desponsamus te, mare, in signum veri perpetuique dominii" ("We wed thee, sea, as a sign of true and everlasting domination"), thus declaring the indivisible bond between of Venice and the Adriatic Sea.
In addition to his gold ring, the Pope gave Ziani a sword, a white candle, and a gold umbrella, each weighted with symbolism, just as the Doge himself was the symbol of the Republic.
The sword symbolized justice. The umbrella was traditionally associated only with popes and emperors. Giving the doge an umbrella symbolized his equality with both, and the independence of Venice from any other earthly power. The white candle, carried in the Doge’s procession by a chaplain of St. Mark’s, symbolized the pure and true faith of the Venetians but it also had another function. In order to create St. Mark’s Square, Doge Ziani had to tear down and move the church of San Geminiano. The act was a sacrilege, forgiven by the Pope upon Ziani’s promise the rebuild the Church where it had originally stood within a year. This ritual was repeated annually, and the church remained 300 feet back at the western end of the square. The candle was a symbol of penitence as well as an honor. San Geminiano remained where it was until Napoleon demolished it to build himself a ballroom.
In the Doge’s procession (see full procession here) the candle is carried in front of the doge, the sword is carried behind him, and the umbrella is carried over him. He was never allowed to leave the palace without them, as well as the ornate stool and gold cushion carried by equerries should he need to sit.
Alexander III presents Doge Ziani with the sword of justice.
Ziani is presented with the Pope’s gold ring.
Doge Ziani is presented with an umbrella as recognition of his equality.
![Francesco Zanin, The departure of the Bucintoro [the Doge’s Golden Boat] from San Marco to the Church of San Nicolò al Lido, painted ca. 1869. The golden boat, surrounded by a regatta of boats of all kinds, sailed to the mouth of the lagoon for the …](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f079612a4a2760fc79dcb2f/1597184764923-XJEMRXCCVT2JWQNXO0IT/Screen+Shot+2020-08-11+at+12.46.24+PM.png)
Francesco Zanin, The departure of the Bucintoro [the Doge’s Golden Boat] from San Marco to the Church of San Nicolò al Lido, painted ca. 1869. The golden boat, surrounded by a regatta of boats of all kinds, sailed to the mouth of the lagoon for the doge’s marriage to the sea.