During the Siege of Venice, which lasted from May 8, 1797 to August 12, 1797, the city was under attack by French and Austrian forces. The Austrians first attempted to take control of the city by cutting off its supplies from the sea and land. This failed as Venetian ships managed to slip through their blockade. The Austrians then began a bombardment of Piazza San Marco with heavy artillery fire that lasted several weeks. During this period, much of Venice’s historic buildings were damaged or destroyed including the Doge’s Palace and St Mark’s Basilica. After several weeks of bombardment, on August 12th 1797 the French and Austrian forces finally withdrew after signing a treaty with Venice that ceded most of its territory to Austria in exchange for ending hostilities.