Detail of the upper exterior of St. Mark's Basilica. St. Mark's stands as one of the finest extant examples of Byzantine architecture, a style that derives from the eastern reaches of the Roman empire that was centered at Constantinople rather than Rome. Venice was the gateway between east and west during the Middle Ages. There has been a church on the site as a part of this site since the 9th century. The basilica in its present form was consecrated in 1071.