thumb|Coat of arms of the House of Contarini|240x240px
thumb|188x188px|The [[Ca' d'Oro, built for the Contarini family in 1428-30]]
thumb|188x188px|Doge [[Andrea Contarini returning victorious from the War of Choggia in 1380 (Palazzo Ducale)]]
thumb| A [[galley of Augustinus Contarini illustrated by Conrad Grünenberg after his pilgrimage to Jerusalem in 1486 (Badische Landesbibliothek)|188x188px]]
thumb|251x251px|The [[Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo, built for the Contarini family in the 15th century]]
thumb|188x188px|The [[Villa Contarini, commissioned by Paolo and Francesco Contarini in 1546]]
The Contarini is one of the founding families of Venice and one of the oldest families of the Italian Nobility. The Contarini claimed to be of Roman origin through their patrilineal descendance of the Aurelii Cottae, a branch of the Roman family Aurelia, and traditionally trace their lineage back to Gaius Aurelius Cotta, consul of the Roman Republic in 252 BC and 248 BC.
Family
The House of Contarini is one of the twelve founding families of the Venetian Republic, According to manuscripts In 466 the exiles decided upon a form of self-government through the annual election of Tribunes, who ultimately in 539 came under Byzantine rule through the Exarch of Ravenna, forming a loose association of islands with its capital in Eraclea. According to tradition, in 697 under the guidance of the Patriarch of Grado, twelve Tribunes ruling the Byzantine district of Venice elected the first Doge in Eraclea, forming the independent Republic of Venice. One of these Tribunes was Marcus Aurelius Contarini. suggesting that only following the murder of the Byzantine viceroy Paul Exarch of Ravenna, did the inhabitants of the islands chose their first Doge, Orso Ipato from Eraclea. As the first inhabitants in the lagoon came from what were provinces of Rome in the 5th century, the Rialto initially being governed by a Consular Triumvirate elected at Padua and subsequently by Tribunes who were elected from among the most prominent members in their former Roman communes, it is not uncommon among the oldest Venetian patrician families to find Roman ancestry (e.g. descended from gens Sulpicii Quirini, Marcello descended from gens Claudii Marcelli), followed by numerous other communal, ministerial and military official positions for his descendants In Sicily the family carries the title Duke .
Notable members
- Marco Aurelio Contarini, Roman consul elected at Padua, took part in the third Consular Triumvirate of Rialto, from 425 to 426
- Luigi Contarini, Procurator of San Marco in 864
- Antonio Contarini, Procurator of San Marco in 865