St Mark's Clocktower

The St Mark’s Clocktower (Torre dell’Orologio) is a Renaissance clock tower in Piazza San Marco, Venice, marking the entrance to the Merceria. It was built between 1496 and 1499 and serves as both a civic timepiece and an astronomical clock.

Commissioned and designed in the late 15th century by the architect Mauro Codussi, the tower was completed at the end of the 1400s and has been maintained and repaired over the centuries to preserve its mechanical dial and figures. Its clock mechanism and exterior decorations underwent periodic restorations to keep the astronomical functions operational.

Sited on the north side of Piazza San Marco, the tower connects the square to the main shopping route (the Merceria) and sits between the Procuratie buildings near St Mark’s Basilica and the Piazzetta.

• Astronomical dial: The clock face includes an astronomical dial that shows the hours, the phases of the moon and the signs of the zodiac.
• Hour strikers: Two large bronze figures on the roof strike the hours; they are commonly called the "Moors" and are a distinctive mechanical feature of the tower.