Narthex
St. Mark’s Basilica, Venice

Formerly no more than a simple porch, the narthex was given its present shape and size during the 12th and early 13th centuries. The central portal of the narthex was originally the main entrance of the church before the narthex was built.
Precious red porphyry marbles, and green and white and black Aquitania marbles were brought to Venice from afar and were used to adorn the basilica. The architects treated the narthex like a splendid exhibition hall to display the incredible variety of marbles, columns and capitals of different periods. Indeed a large number of columns have no structural meaning.