Venetians have devised a straightforward method to prevent Saint Mark’s Basilica from being inundated by the lagoon’s yearly high tide, Acqua Alta. To keep the water out, they have built glass barriers around the 900-year-old church.
With the additional barriers, the church and the square will be shielded from up to three and a half feet of water, allowing for high tides of more than six feet above sea level. An engineering project to build subterranean drainage pipes beneath the church and the square is being done in conjunction with the transparent fencing in order to drain the area of floodwaters.
“Let’s hope that, going forward, the base of the basilica won’t be touched by any more high waves, the basilica’s architect and restoration specialist Mario Piana told the Guardian.
The city erected reinforced concrete barriers beneath the paving stones to stop the walls of the Saint Mark’s Square fountain from being tipped over by the power of the water. Architect Andrea Tirali produced this complex geometric pattern in 1723.
Due to their location in one of the city’s lowest points, the church and square have been particularly impacted by the increasing waves. The square was one of the first areas to be affected by the flooding, and it is still repairing the harm.
The church is not the only group trying to stop the rising waters from destroying Venice’s cultural heritage. After numerous years of delays, 35 corruption-related arrests, and unsuccessful tests of a €7 billion project, Venice finally deployed 78 flood barriers at the lagoon’s outlet in October 2020. The technology proved its ability to defend the city against flooding when expected water levels rose by only 53 inches.
However, until the project is finished, the barriers are only put in place when it is anticipated that the water level would be higher than 51 inches. The additional safety precautions are required because Saint Mark’s starts to flood at just 35 inches of tide.
