The building that this picture is on is called Basilica di San Marco in St marks Square in Venice. The lion and the angels wings are gold plated ( meaning not solid gold but simply gold foil overlay) The pic is called piazza and life evolved around it in the republican era. This is on a church and the most famous church in Italy to this day. This church is thought to be the the church of god because there is gold plated outside nd inside of the church. “The church dates back to 828 A.D and the basilica was consecrated in 1094”. The lion is protecting the scroll he is leaning on. This church is a huge tourist attractions because of its vast size and attention to detail the artist/architect put into it. “The basilica is 76.5 meters (251 ft) in length & 62.5 meters (205.1 ft) in width, whereas, its maximum height till the top of the central dome reaches up to 43 meters (141 ft).”

Source: http://arounddeglobe.com/st-marks-basilica-glorious-church-gold-venice/
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