The symbol of Venice

 The symbol of the Republic of Venice (and of Veneto region today) is the Venice lion with wings, which in the Bible is the symbol of Saint Mark the Evangelist (patron saint of the city).
The Venice lion holds a book: when the book is open, it is possible to read the phrase “Pax Tibi Marce Evangelista Meus”. According to the tradition, this prophecy, pronounced by an angel and addressed to Saint Mark, predicted that the body of the Evangelist would have been buried here.
This actually happened in 828, when the body was stolen and brought here from Alexandria by two Venetian merchants.