The Basilica di santa Maria Assunta is the oldest religious building in the Venice area. Initially built in 639 A.D., the cathedral is a testimony to the meeting of Western and Eastern cultures and artistic styles. The gothic structure is Byzantine in style, as displayed by the splendid golden mosaics inside. The whole construction is centred around the figure of the Virgin Mary, who awaits surrounded by bright shimmering light those who enter into the initial darkness of the church.
The slender tall belltower is still a crucial reference point for anyone in the lagoon.