The office of Procurator of San Marco (Italian

Italian language

Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...

: Procuratore di San Marco) was the second most prestigious life appointment in the Republic of Venice

Republic of Venice

The Republic of Venice or Venetian Republic was a state originating from the city of Venice in Northeastern Italy. It existed for over a millennium, from the late 7th century until 1797. It was formally known as the Most Serene Republic of Venice and is often referred to as La Serenissima, in...

 (the position of Doge of Venice

Doge of Venice

The Doge of Venice , often mistranslated Duke was the chief magistrate and leader of the Most Serene Republic of Venice for over a thousand years. Doges of Venice were elected for life by the city-state's aristocracy. Commonly the person selected as Doge was the shrewdest elder in the city...

 being the most prestigious).

History

Originating in the ninth century, the Procurator's original duties were to attend to the fabric and administration of St Mark's Basilica

St Mark's Basilica

The Patriarchal Cathedral Basilica of Saint Mark is the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Venice, northern Italy. It is the most famous of the city's churches and one of the best known examples of Byzantine architecture...

. There was originally one Procurator, appointed by the Doge, but between 1231 and 1442, their number increased to nine procurators appointed by the Great Council (Maggior Consiglio) of Venice. Their duties also expanded in 1269 to include the protection of orphans and the insane, as well as the execution

Executor

An executor, in the broadest sense, is one who carries something out .-Overview:...

 of wills

Will (law)

A will or testament is a legal declaration by which a person, the testator, names one or more persons to manage his/her estate and provides for the transfer of his/her property at death...

. Appointment as a Procurator of San Marco was one of the highest honours the Most Serene Republic could bestow on its citizen as a reward for a life of service to the Republic.

The nine procurators consisted of:

• the Procuratori de Supra, who took care of the administration of St. Mark's Basilica;
• the Procuratori de Citra, who dispensed charity and attended to wills in the sestieri of San Marco
  San Marco
  San Marco is one of the six sestieri of Venice, lying in the heart of the city. San Marco also includes the island of San Giorgio Maggiore...
  
  , Castello
  Castello, Venice
  Castello is the largest of the six sestieri of Venice, Italy. The district grew up from the thirteenth century around a naval dockyard on what was originally the Isole Gemini, although there had been small settlements of the islands of San Pietro di Castello , also called Isola d'Olivolo, since at...
  
  , and Cannaregio
  Cannaregio
  Cannaregio is the northernmost of the six historic sestieri of Venice. It is the second largest sestiere by land area and the largest by population, with 13,169 people as of 2007....
  
  ; and
• the Procuratori de Ultra, who performed the same function for the sestieri of Dorsoduro
  Dorsoduro
  Dorsoduro is one of the six sestieri of Venice, northern Italy.Dorsoduro includes the highest land areas of the city and also Giudecca island and Isola Sacca Fisola...
  
  , Santa Croce
  Santa Croce
  Santa Croce is one of the six sestieri of Venice, northern Italy.-Geography:It occupies the north west part of the main islands, and can be divided into two areas: the eastern area being largely mediaeval, and the western - including the main port and the Tronchetto - mostly lying on land reclaimed...
  
  , and San Polo
  San Polo
  San Polo is the smallest of the six sestieri of Venice, northern Italy, covering 86 acres along the Grand Canal. It is one of the oldest parts of the city, having been settled before the ninth century, when it and San Marco formed part of the Realtine Islands...
  
  .

The Procurators' offices were located in the Procuratie

Procuratie

The Procuratie are three connected buildings on St Mark's Square in Venice. They are also connected to St Mark's Clocktower...

in the Piazza San Marco

Piazza San Marco

Piazza San Marco , is the principal public square of Venice, Italy, where it is generally known just as "the Piazza". All other urban spaces in the city are called "campi"...

.

The Procurator of San Marco Today

The office of Procurator of San Marco was not abolished at the fall of the Republic of Venice in 1797. Instead, the Procurators remained responsible for administering the assets of St. Mark's Basilica, under the authority of the Patriarch of Venice

Patriarch of Venice

The Patriarch of Venice is the ordinary bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Venice. The bishop is one of the few Patriarchs in the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church...

.

The position was confirmed by a royal decree issued by Victor Emmanuel III of Italy

Victor Emmanuel III of Italy

Victor Emmanuel III was a member of the House of Savoy and King of Italy . In addition, he claimed the crowns of Ethiopia and Albania and claimed the titles Emperor of Ethiopia and King of Albania , which were unrecognised by the Great Powers...

 in 1931. Today, there are seven procurators, with the president holding the title of First Procurator of San Marco (Primo Procuratore di San Marco). The Procurators work closely with architects and engineers to ensure the historic preservation

Historic preservation

Historic preservation is an endeavor that seeks to preserve, conserve and protect buildings, objects, landscapes or other artifacts of historical significance...

of St. Mark's Basilica.