The Italian city installed glass barriers around the 900-year-old church to keep the waters out. The decision was made after near-record flooding in December 2022, preventing a repeat of the November 2019 near-catastrophe that aged parts of the building “20 years in a day,” according to Basilica’s Procuratoria governing body. The temporary structure is fixed until the MOSE system fully works by the end of 2025, protecting the city of Venice, Italy, and the Venetian Lagoon from flooding.
The transparent fence protects up to 110 cm and integrates the underground drainage channels below the church and the square to remove flood waters from the area. The footing is armored with concrete and buried beneath the paving stones of Saint Mark’s Square to avoid being overturned by the force of the water. Also, to preserve the integrity of the white limestone and gray trachyte from 1723 by architect Andrea Tirali.
The execution of the barriers took place after planning officials decided not to raise the city’s MOSE system for aqua alta events under 120cm, leaving the square and Basilica, on the lowest point in Venice, out to dry at just 64cm above sea level. The church is not working alone to try and protect the city’s cultural heritage against rising tides. In addition to the fence, the city is accelerating the completion of the MOSE project, which started in 2003.
The city will become uninhabitable if no adequate measures are taken - Mario Piana, designer of the temporary barriers and professor of architectural conservation at the Università IUAV of Venice
Scheduled for completion in 2025, after years of delay, the Modulo Sperimentale Elettromeccanico currently is raised for tides of more than 110 centimeters, isolating the Venetian Lagoon temporarily from the Adriatic Sea during acqua alta high tides. Together with other projects, such as coastal reinforcement, raising quaysides, and the paving and improvement of the lagoon, MOSE will protect Venice and the lagoon from tides of up to 3 meters. The system consists of rows of mobile gates installed at the Lido, Malamocco, and Chioggia inlets to prevent some low-lying parts of the area (in particular, piazza San Marco) from being damaged by flooding.
Following several initiatives to tackle the tourism and architectural heritage crisis, Venice authorities have announced that visitors will have to book a visiting slot and an entrance fee to see the historic canal city from mid-January 2023. Followed by the recent ban on cruise ships, the regulation looks to solve the over-tourism crisis that has been affecting the lagoon's ecosystem, urban development, and the local population.
