Torcello is an island on the Venetian lagoon, seven miles to the north of Venice, that was the first part of the area to be settled, in the 5th century C.E. Its main landmark is a church that was built by the original settlers of the Venice region, people “in flight and distress” (134) from the attacks of the Lombards.

Describing the architecture and decoration of the church in detail, Ruskin extols it as a symbol of “the deep sorrow and the sacred courage” (135) and the “stern” Christian virtue of the settlers who built it. For Ruskin, this better defines the original spirit of Venice than the pomp and pageantry of the city’s later buildings.

Venice’s connection with the Christian apostle St. Mark led to the building of St. Mark’s Basilica, which along with its Square is the city’s signal landmark. Venice was believed to possess the remains of St. Mark in the ninth century and therefore chose him as the city’s patron saint. The original St. Mark’s Church was destroyed by fire in 976; rebuilt over the next hundred years, the new church was consecrated in 1085 in the presence of the doge.

The church as it presently stands combines architectural and artistic styles of several centuries: Byzantine, Gothic, and Renaissance. However, the “general effect” of the church is Byzantine because the later additions were “dexterously accommodated” to the original style.

Toward the middle of the chapter, Ruskin compares St. Mark’s with a typical “English cathedral town” to draw a contrast in the mood and character of each. Throughout this poetic passage, he emphasizes that St. Mark’s splendor communicates a different vision of life from the stern plainness of the English cathedral. However, few of the masses of people who cluster around St. Mark’s appreciate its meaning or beauty.

In describing the interior of the church, Ruskin also emphasizes essential principles that set the architecture of St. Mark’s apart. These include incrustation, by which “precious materials” are loaded onto brick walls to create mass—a style which differs from the principles of “Northern” architecture—as well as the primacy of color in Venetian decoration and painting.

Ruskin gives these artistic principles historical and social context. He describes the process by which Venetians transported precious and hard-to-obtain building materials, and how this influenced their architectural choices. Ruskin portrays the Venetian builders as concerned with preserving earlier work and enhancing the beauty of the whole building. This is partly because the early Venetians were refugees from older cities; in building their new environment, they emulated former models with the materials they had at their disposal. These architects tended to build upon the past and to use their materials prudently and wisely.

The style of incrusted architecture was the one best suited to display the Venetian love of color, which originated in the costliness and difficulty of obtaining precious stones and other materials. Finally, Ruskin defends the mosaics of St. Mark’s as effective ways to teach religious history and beliefs to the people, against claims that they are “barbarous.”