The little church dedicated to Saint Mark in the charming pine forest, called Pineta di San Marco, which overlooks Grado lagoon.

The Legend of Saint Mark

Around 5km south of Aquileia you will find a charming pine forest, called Pineta di San Marco, which overlooks Grado lagoon. According to the local legend, this is where Saint Mark first landed when he travelled from Alexandria of Egypt to evangelise this region.

In the past, a local monastery held an evangelistary considered by many as being written by Saint Mark in person around the mid-1st century AD. The book was known as the Evangelistary of the Princes, as it was an object of worship for princes and emperors, who signed it as a confirmation of their faith. The monastery no longer exists and the manuscript is dispersed between Venice (Saint Mark's Basilica), Prague (St. Vitus Cathedral) and Cividale del Friuli (Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption, few kilometers away from Aquileia). The legend about Saint Mark, however, is still deeply rooted in Aquileia.

Fresco in the Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta depicting the inhabitants of Aquileia introducing their bishop Hermagoras to Saint Mark (circa 1180). – © Photograph by Wolfgang Sauber / Wikimedia

Explore a 360 view of the small church at Pineta di San Marco