The winged lion represents Saint Mark the Evangelist, Venice’s patron saint. According to an ancient legend, when Saint Mark was traveling from Aquileia to Rome, a storm forced him to take refuge on a small island in the Venetian lagoon. There, an angel appeared to him and prophesied: “Pax tibi Marce, evangelista meus, hic requiescat corpus tuum” (“Peace to you, Mark, my Evangelist, may your body rest here”).
Centuries later, this prophecy was fulfilled. In 828 AD, two Venetian merchants organized a secret mission to Alexandria, Egypt, where Saint Mark’s relics were kept by the Coptic community. They stole the saint’s remains and smuggled them out by hiding them under a load of vegetables and pork—Muslim customs officials refused to touch the food because pork was considered impure. Once in Venice, the relics were hidden in the original basilica and not rediscovered until June 25, 1094.
The winged lion acquired both religious and political meaning for Venice: the wings represented spiritual elevation and freedom, the body symbolized strength and majesty, and the book beneath its paw represented wisdom and peace.
 
Interesting facts...
In 2025 when researchers published groundbreaking findings about the bronze statue standing on the Column of the Lion in the Piazzetta San Marco. Despite centuries of belief that it was Greek, Roman, or Byzantine, the lion was actually made in ancient China during the Tang Dynasty (AD 618–907)!