One unlucky cat was the only victim when the ancient St. Mark’s bell tower collapsed in Venice
After hundreds of years, the structure came crashing down in 1902
The city of Venice has always operated on faith. Between the flooding and the sinking, it’s a tribute to early engineering that the city has survived as long as it has. But even Italian stonemasons can’t account for every act of God.
The Campanile di San Marco had already seen more than its share of wear and tear when it collapsed in 1902. Centuries of lightning strikes had charred the iconic bell tower at least eight times. It was erected on Roman foundations in the 9th century, and an earthquake in 1511 further tested the integrity of its structure. But the St. Mark was a survivor, and at 99 meters tall it was a fixture of the Venetian psyche—and skyline—a monolith of Italian engineering prowess. When, on the morning of July 14, 1902, a large crack was noticed in the northeast corner of the Loggia Sansovino, a small baroque structure abutting the base of the tower, authorities immediately cancelled a concert planned for later in the day. “A little before the collapse a noise of falling stones within the bell tower warned the shopkeepers, workmen and tourists of the impending disaster and all fled for their lives, crying ‘The Campanile is falling!’” reported the Sausalito News on July 19.
Miraculously, no one was killed in the collapse, which turned the once-stately tower into a doleful mound of debris in the middle of Saint Mark’s Square. Nearby residents panicked when they mistook the rumbling and thick cloud of red dust as a volcanic eruption, and had to be calmed by police. Countless antiquities were lost and a portion of the nearby Biblioteca Marciana was damaged, but the adjacent Basilica—an architectural icon—emerged unscathed. As for loss of life: The only casualty was the caretaker’s cat.
Though the exact cause of the tower’s collapse is not known, news reports at the time cite local complaints that persistent dredging of the Grand Canal had caused the ground to slip. Seasonal flooding in the plaza and the ad hoc nature of renovations over the centuries also may have contributed as well. Following the event, a vociferous debate emerged in Venice over whether or how to rebuild. Eventually, officials decided to resurrect the campanile as an exact replica of itself, though with a new iron framework and structural support. The ancient wooden foundation beams were also replaced with concrete.