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analogy of a supposed Gr. 5'ov,Ev-ravpos, ox-centaur (from (3ovs and sfvravpos). This led to the explanation of the name as derived from the See also:

head of an ox having served as the See also:

GALLEY (derived through the 0. Fr. galee, galie, from the Med. Lat. galea, Ital. galea, Port. gale, of uncertain origin; from the Med. Lat. variant form galera are derived the Mod. Fr. galere, Span. and Ital. galera)

galley's figurehead. This derivation is, however, fanciful; the name bucentaurus is unknown in See also:

ancient See also:

MYTHOLOGY

mythology, and the figurehead of the bucentaurs, of which representations have come down to us, is the See also:

lion of St See also:

Mark. 7 See F. X. Kraus, " See also:

Die Wandgemalde von See also:

San Angelo in Formis," in Jahrbuch der kgl. preuss. Kunstsamml. (1893), pl. i. (From MS. R. to E. IV.

Brit. See also:

Mus.) The name bucentaur seems, indeed, to have been given to any See also:

GREAT

great and sumptuous Venetian galley. Du Cange (See also:

GLOSS, GLOSSARY

Gloss., s.v. "Bucentaurus ") quotes from the See also:

CHRONICLE (from Gr. Xpovos, time)

chronicle of the See also:

DOGE

doge See also:

ANDREA, GIOVANNI (1275-1348)

Andrea See also:

Dandolo (d. 1354): cum uno artificioso et solemni Bucentauro, super quo venit usque ad S. Clementem, quo jam pervenerat principalior et solemnior Bucentaurus cum consiliariis, &c. The last and most magnificent of the bucentaurs, built in 1729, was destroyed by the See also:

French in 1798 for the See also:

SAKE

sake of its golden decorations. Remains of it are preserved at Venice in the Museo Civico Correr and in the See also:

ARSENAL

Arsenal; in the latter there is also a See also:

FINE

fine See also:

MODEL (0. Fr. modelle, mod. modele; It. modello, pattern, mould; from Lat. modus, measure, standard)

model of it. The " See also:

MARRIAGE

Marriage of the Adriatic," or more correctly " of the sea " (Sposalizio del See also:

Mar) was a ceremony symbolizing the maritime dominion of Venice. The ceremony, established about A.D. 1000 to commemorate the doge See also:

ORSEOLO

Orseolo II.'s See also:

CONQUEST

conquest of See also:

DALMATIA (Ger. Dalmatien; Ital. Dalmazia; Serbo-Croatian, Dalmacija)

Dalmatia, was originally one of supplication and placation, Ascension day being chosen as that on which the doge had set out on his expedition. The See also:

FORM (Lat. forma)

form it took was a See also:

SOLEMN (Lat. sollemnis, sollemnis, less correctly solennis, yearly, annual; from sollus = totus, whole, entire, Gr. Mos., and annus, year)

solemn procession of boats, headed by' the doge's maesta See also:

NAVE

nave, afterwards the Bucentaur (from 1311) out to sea by the Lido See also:

PORT

port.

A See also:

prayer was offered that " for us and all who See also:

SAIL

sail thereon the sea may be See also:

CALM

calm and quiet," whereupon the doge and the others were solemnly aspersed with See also:

HOLY

holy See also:

WATER

water, the See also:

REST (O. Eng. rest, reste, bed, cognate with other Teutonic forms, e.g. Ger. Rast, Riiste, rest, and probably Gothic Rasta, league, i.e. resting or stopping place)

rest of which was thrown into the sea while the priests chanted " Purge me with See also:

HYSSOP (Hyssopus officinalis)

hyssop and I shall be clean." To this ancient ceremony a sacramental See also:

CHARACTER (Gr. xapareri7p, from xap&crew, to scratch)

character was given by See also:

Pope See also:

Alexander III. in 1177, in return for the services rendered by Venice in the struggle against the See also:

EMPEROR (Fr. empereur, from the Lat. imperator)

emperor See also:

Frederick I. The pope See also:

drew a See also:

RING (O.E. hring; a word common to Teutonic languages; and probably cognate with the Lat. circus, Gr. KtpKOS or KpLKOS, Skt'. chakra, wheel, circle, cf. also " harangue "); in art, a band of circular shape of varying sizes, made of any material and used f

ring from his See also:

FINGER

finger and, giving it to the doge, bade him See also:

CAST (from the verb meaning " to throw "; the word is Scand. in origin, cf. Dan. kaste, and Swed. kasta; " cast " in Middle Eng. took the place of the A.S. weor pan, cf. Ger. werf en)

cast such a one into the sea each year on Ascension day, and so wed the sea. Henceforth the ceremonial, instead of placatory and expiatory, became nuptial. Every year the doge dropped a consecrated ring into the sea, and with the words Desponsamus te, See also:

MARE

mare (We wed thee, sea) declared Venice and the sea to be indissolubly one (see H. F. See also:

Brown, Venice, See also:

LONDON

London, 1893, pp. 69, 11o).

End of Article: BUCENTAUR (Ital. bucintoro)

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