Digging The Doge's Palace

The idea of justice is a really prominent theme in the history of Venice, however there is this overpowering notion of instilling fear into the public –whether through publicly displayed punishment or a promise of your soul going to a fiery, hellish afterlife, as was preached by the Catholic church. Even the Catholic Church presence that came from Rome and was aligned with the Vatican’s Pope is objectively less beautiful and grand than St. Marks Basilica as well as its located away from the Doge’s Palace. There is something significant here: The Doge almost took the form of a holy figure as his power seemed to be more deeply respected than the practices of Rome’s Christianity. The way the Doge “kept order” and maintained a society that was loyal to his laws was sometimes through gruesome punishment in life, which was likely a more compelling motivator to abide by his laws even considering the consequences faced in death by those who had sinned. Cutting off the hands of thieves or hanging people publicly commenced if they were to pollute the water (as pollution was synonymous with the murder of Venice in that time since the water provided Venetians with life-giving resources). I found this out from my tour guide while exploring the Doge's Palace. All of my opinions about corrupt governmental structures of the past aside, the palace was beautiful. It really was a testament to the Venetians' commitment to honoring themselves and those in power through art. Although, the tour disclosed to us that hints about the fall of Venice's economy before the invasion by the French were present in the larger-than-life-art. For instance, in the small chapel outside of the Doge's bedroom has a lion painted on the ceiling that is frowning and looks "tired" (as our guide described him). In the next room over, the winged lion symbol of Venice is pictured without any wings at all. Even though the Venetians were very cocky and believed themselves to be the center of god's universe, I found this awareness of their impending struggles to be very interesting. It is a breathtaking building to experience regardless of all of the historical context. The gold leaf covers the framed work and that, to my, is the most eye-catching element of it all.