St Marks square - Zante

There are many tourists who arrive in Zakynthos Town just to enjoy the shopping, satisfy their taste buds with gastronomic delights of Zante food and pamper themselves with gifts from hordes of gift shops in Zante. But there are others who just don’t want to miss the beauty of the island and find themselves quite drawn to the beautiful architecture.

Today, Zante Town inhabits around 35,000 people and is the cultural, residential, political and economic hub of Zakynthos. In the summer, the town is busy with tourists who come to see the sights of Zante Town, to shop and hang out in the cafes and tavernas. Zante is adorned with four main squares, Solomos Square, Bochali square, St. Marks Square and Kalvos Square. St Markos square played an important part of Zakynthian history, as it was the place where people would often gather to meet and discuss their ideas.

St Markos square was named after a Church built in 1518. It is the only Catholic Church in Zakynthos. Once upon a time the Church was a Cathedral for the Bishopric of Kefalonia and Zakynthos, however nowadays St. Markos Church is kept open for tourists during the summer. The earthquake of 1953 damaged the Church badly and it was erected again.

In 1797 the Popolari burned the books of the nobility in the St. Markos square. A tree exists in the centre of the square called 'The Tree of Freedom'. It was constructed to celebrate the Venetians loss of rule of the Zakynthos. The Solomos & Kavlos museum is situated in the St. Markos square and consists of personal objects of Dionysios, the patron saint of fishermen, Solomos, Alexander Roma and others. It also houses objects from the Byzantine period and a large collection of icons representing the saint's life as well as his silver coffin.

Nowadays many tavernas, cafes and restaurants line the square and it is a nice place to sit and eat with your family and friends. Many people throng the square on summer evenings, when locals and tourists come here to take a stroll or watch world go by. Spreading out from the squares of the Zante town, the streets are built in a grid pattern that walk up to Bochali Square and the Venetian fortress that towers above Zakynthos Town. The colonnaded walkways around the St. Markos square help to keep the rain water off in the winters and the sun off in the summers. Now the main shopping street has walkways from pedestrians, which becomes altogether enjoyable when you walk around the St. Markos square in the evening. Hence it is an ideal place to visit for any traveler.