Since the late twelfth century, two columns are on the Piazzetta San Marco in Venice. The left column is surmounted by the winged lion of St. Mark bronze evangelist, and the column on the right by St. Theodore in marble. A superstition wants that a true Venetian would never passes between the columns. Columns were actually three, but one of them fell into the basin of San Marco at the time of transfer on the dock and it was never recovered.