Palazzo della Cancelleria

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Palazzo della Cancelleria
Engraving by Piranesi, 1770

Engraving by Piranesi , 1770

Data
place Rome
Client Cardinal Raffaele Riario
Architectural style Renaissance
Construction year 1485-1513
height 25 m
Floor space 5,307 m²
particularities
Extra-territorial zone of the Holy See : (map)

The Palazzo della Cancelleria (from Italian: "Chancellery", meaning the papal chancellery) is a palace in the old town ( centro storico ) of Rome . It is located between Corso Vittorio Emanuele II and Via del Pellegrino in the Parione district . The main facade faces the Piazza della Cancelleria .

The cardinal and papal vice-chancellor Raffaele Riario had the palace built as a residence between 1485 and 1513. It is the first Renaissance palace in Rome and plays an important role in the urban reorganization and the regaining of Rome's dominant position. The design is attributed to Leon Battista Alberti , among others . Donato Bramante , Andrea Bregno and Baccio Pontelli are named as architects and builders . The majestic facade and the perfectly shaped inner courtyard make it one of the most beautiful palaces in Rome.

historical overview

The Palazzo della Cancelleria (main facade in Piazza della Cancelleria)

Pope Damasus I had a palace built next to the church of San Lorenzo in Damaso, which he founded, in the 4th century. In the middle of the 15th century, this building was renewed and expanded by Cardinal Ludovico Scarampi Mezzarota . Around the Holy Year 1475, Pope Sixtus IV (1414–1484) began the redevelopment of the Roman districts of Regola, Ponte and Campo Marzio. Due to the exile of the Popes in Avignon and the Western Schism, Rome had lost its influence in favor of the northern Italian city-states of Florence, Milan and Venice. For strategic reasons, too, old buildings were torn down and wide squares as well as wide, straight streets were created, which were soon lined with magnificent palaces and representative buildings. With this urban renewal, the clergy in particular pushed for the resumption of the cultural supremacy of Rome, favored by a “simony growing beyond limits” The inscription on the corner of Via Florea (today Campo de 'Fiori) summarizes the measures of Pope Sixtus IV:

Field of Mars, how dirty you were, unkempt and full of stinking garbage.
Now, under the rule of Sixtus, you will be freed from this unworthy sight and the whole place is admirable. Rome owes thanks to the saving prince. Via Florea
In the year of salvation, 1483

In particular, rich cardinals played a prominent role in this urban renewal. It was they who formed the new rising class from the second half of the 15th century, who owed their wealth to the indulgence trade, the trade in privileges and coveted posts, among other things. Purple bearers like Ascanio Sforza , Rodrigo Borgia or Oliviero Carafa felt themselves to be patrons of the arts; they outdid each other in the construction of their richly furnished palaces and courtly residences. One of the most prominent of these cardinals was the nepote Sixtus IV. Raffaele Riario , who was appointed cardinal in 1477 at the age of 17 and titular of the Basilica of San Lorenzo in Damaso in 1483. He initially lived in the adjoining old cardinal palace, which he soon had torn down to enable the palace and church to be rebuilt. Winning 14,000 ducats at a dice game in two games with Franceschetto Cybò, son of Pope Innocent VIII, is said to have been the financial basis.

Construction work began around 1485 and lasted until 1514. In 1495 the south side of the palace on Via del Pellegrino and the main facade were already completed, in 1496 Cardinal Riario moved into the palace. It was completed between 1511 and 1514. During the 16th century interiors such as the Hall of the 100 Days (Salone dei Cento Giorni) and the Cardinal's apartment were created.

The coats of arms of Sixtus IV and Julius II on the corners of the facade are reminiscent of the popes, under whom construction began, was completed and, to a large extent, financed. The construction costs came to nearly 180,000 scudi.

1517 Cardinal Riario was suspected in the conspiracy of the Cardinals Raffaele Petrucci and Bandinello Sauli against Pope Leo X to be involved. He was arrested and held captive in Castel Sant'Angelo. After an intervention by the banker Agostino Chigi with the Pope, he was pardoned on condition that he paid the sum of 150,000 ducats, a third of which Chigi paid, and that his palace be bequeathed to the Papal Chamber.

During the Sacco di Roma in 1527, the mercenaries of the Imperial League under Emperor Charles V devastated Rome and burned the palace down. 1585–90 the restoration took place under Pope Sixtus V by Domenico Fontana .

In 1938, during archaeological excavations under the palace, the tomb of Aulus Hirtius was discovered. In 1988 the remains of a basilica from the 4th and 5th centuries were found.

Since 2015, the goods administration of the Apostolic See has had the four facades of the palace extensively restored after preliminary investigations.

Usage history

Over the centuries, the palace has played an important role in the history of the city of Rome and the Papal States. In addition to the use of the palace or individual building complexes by the Cardinals Riario and Farnese in the 15th and 16th centuries, other more or less historically significant or well-founded events have come down to us.

In 1501, during the passage of French troops, the commander Robert Stuart d'Aubigny , the lieutenant general King Louis XII. , from June 24th to July 3rd the palace. The chronicler Jean d'Auton reports that during his stay in the palace extremely splendid parties and banquets took place. A specially created garden with orange, lemon, pomegranate trees and other expensive fruit trees as well as a large number of different fragrant flowers formed the ornamental framework.

In 1527 Cardinal Andrea Matteo Colonna witnessed the invasion of the mercenaries of the Imperial League and the sacking of the city in the palace. The palace burned down and the archive was lost in the flames. From 1585 to 1590 Pope Sixtus V ordered the restoration of the devastated palace by his preferred architect Domenico Fontana. This also created the main portal of the palace.

In 1689 Pope Alexander VIII appointed his nephew Pietro Ottoboni as Vice Chancellor of the Church and Cardinal of San Lorenzo in Damaso. The 22-year-old Ottoboni moved into the palace and became one of the most important art patrons of Rome of his time, succeeding Queen Christine of Sweden . He had the Teatro Ottoboni built into the palace and gathered an elite of artists, especially musicians, around him. Arcangelo Corelli , who directed the concerts and opera performances in the theater and was allowed to live in the palace until the end of his life, enjoyed special favor .

Engraving by Piranesi , 1770

In 1798 General Louis-Alexandre Berthier entered Rome on the orders of Napoleon, and Pope Pius VI. as head of state of the Papal States and proclaimed the Roman Republic. The palace became the seat of the Tribunal of the Roman Republic and the Imperial Court of Justice (hence the inscription CORTE IMPERIALE above the main portal), with a large number of judges, councilors, auditors, a procurator general and an advocate general.

1849 under the initially democratic administration of Pius IX. the palace became the seat of the Roman Parliament. In the same year Pius IX had to flee to Gaeta . The constitutional assembly of February 5th took place in the palace. Here the decree was issued, article I of which reads: “The papacy is de facto abolished and the rights are transferred to the temporary government of the Roman state” and article III: “The form of government is a pure democracy and takes the glorious name of the Roman Republic on". On July 5, 1849, Pius IX returned to Rome and received the keys to the city of Rome. The offices of the Cancelleria Apostolica were again established in the palace. This remained in function until 1870; however, competencies were transferred to other papal offices. In the end there was only one task left, which was to promote papal letters.

On September 20, 1870, the papal state ended with the invasion of Garibaldi's troops. The palace remained the seat of the Cardinal Vice Chancellor of the Holy Roman Church with the privilege of extraterritoriality. The position of Vice Chancellor lost its importance; In 1908 the incumbent cardinal was given the rank of chancellor.

In 1929 the Lateran Treaties were signed between Benito Mussolini and the State Secretary of Pope Pius XI, Cardinal Pietro Gasparri. The Palazzo della Cancelleria is thus one of the properties of the Holy See , which enjoy the status of extraterritoriality under international law.

In 1967 the Palazzo della Cancelleria, until then only the official seat of the Chancellor, became the seat of important institutions of the Roman Curia. The building currently houses:

Architects

Since the archives of the palace were destroyed in a fire during the Sacco di Roma in 1527, it is still not certain who the architect of this first Renaissance building in Rome was. The original design refers to the humanist and architect Leon Battista Alberti , who designed the Palazzo Rucellai in Florence. Alberti died as early as 1472 and is therefore out of the question as the executive architect of the Palazzo della Cancelleria. However, there are certain parallels in important architectural details. Jacob Burckhardt thinks Donato Bramante is the architect; which is not very likely, however, since Bramante did not come to Rome until the end of 1499. Even Giorgio Vasari mentions the participation of Bramante. Vasari names Antonio da Montecavallo as the esecutore. The participation of the stonemason Andrea Bregno , who was usually called Andrea da Montecavallo after his place of residence, is ensured in the execution. The two may be the same. Bregno was primarily known and in demand for stone carvings and sculptures - but less as an architect; the windows and bay windows on Via del Pellegrino are ascribed to him. Baccio Pontelli, who was a master builder under Sixtus IV and from 1487 under Innocent VIII , is also mentioned. Antonio da Sangallo the Younger , born in 1484, who is mentioned several times in the literature , may have been involved in a later construction phase.

Location and location

The palace is located in the Parione district, very close to Campo de 'Fiori. It stretches over an entire square of streets and borders with its northern side on Corso Vittorio Emanuele II. On the southern side it leads along Via del Pellegrino, which was the most important pilgrimage and processional route in the 15th century. The main facade on the Piazza della Cancelleria was created by straightening the original facade on the side facing the square. It achieves its monumental effect by creating this forecourt and a baseline.

Naming

The original name was Palazzo Riario, after the client and first resident. After the "inheritance" of the palace to the Papal Chamber in 1517, most of the palace was used as the Papal Chancellery (Cancelleria Apostolica), called the "new" and was named Palazzo della Cancelleria. The residence of the titular of the Church of San Lorenzo in Damaso remained in the palace.

Exterior design

Engraving by Giuseppe Vasi

The Palazzo della Cancelleria sets new standards in architectural history, as it breaks with the form of a Palazzo a torre (with corner towers), such as the Palazzo Venezia, built up until then. It is the first completely civil palace building of the Renaissance in Rome, which dispenses with important defensive elements and takes up the elegance of antique facade design. The early Christian church of San Damaso is fully integrated into the building. The facade covers both the residential wing and the church, which does not appear from the outside.

Palazzo della Cancelleria front view

The main façade, the largest square façade produced in the 15th century, impresses with its emphatically horizontal extension and is considered a masterpiece of Renaissance architecture due to its clear structure, which takes up the principles of the golden section . It is limited on each side by corner projections that are reminiscent of former defense towers. The cladding of the facade with travertine on all floors and the associated color design is also a novelty in the production period. The travertine is said to come from the Colosseum and the triumphal arch of Emperor Gordianus.

Divided horizontally into three zones of equal height, divided by cornices, the basement level with its rusticated masonry is subordinate to the residential floors. Arched windows and decentralized entrance gates open, the portal of the palace, which was only built in 1589 by Domenico Fontana on the instructions of Cardinal Alessandro Farnese, and the smaller right portal of the church to the Piazza della Cancelleria. The main portal is decorated with heraldic jewelry and granite pillars.

The floors above are divided by two rows of pilaster strips with composite capitals that are closely related to the pilasters between the windows and are reminiscent of Tuscan palaces, in particular the Palazzo Rucellai in Florence by Leon B. Alberti. In the piano nobile, the middle floor, there are elegantly framed arched windows, above some of which there is an indication of the rank of the resident

R.CAR.S.GEOR.S.RO.E.CAMER (RAFAELLVS CARDINALIS SANCTI GEORGI SANCTAE ROMANAE ECCLESIAE CAMERARIVS = Cardinal Raffael of San Giorgio Chamberlain of the Holy Roman Church ).
Andrea Bregno - window aedicle, main facade

Above it shields with the heraldic rose of the Riario family. The order to produce these window frames went to Andrea Bregno. The inscription in the band above the row of windows in the piano nobile commemorates the builder and the date of completion in 1495 under Pope Alexander VI.

RAPHAEL RIARIUS SAVONENSIS / SANCTI GEORGII DIACONUS CARDINALIS SANCTAE ROMANAE ECCLESIAE CAMERARIUS A SIXTO IIII PONTIFICE MAXIMO HONORIBUS AC FORTUNIS HONESTATUS TEMPLUM DIVO LAURENTIO MARTYRI DICATUM ET ALEXANDIS VIOLECATUM FUND AXX FUNDIS FUNDIS FUNDIS FUNDIS VI

(Raffaele Riario from Savona, cardinal deacon of St. George, treasurer of the Holy Roman Church, honored with honors and fortunes by Sixtus PM, built the church and the building dedicated to St. Lawrence, using his own resources. 1495 under Alexander VI PM)

On the second floor there are rectangular windows, over which small arched windows are inserted. The distribution of the pilasters on the main facade also follows the ratio of the golden section. The sides facing Corso Vittorio II, Via del Pellegrino and the garden are designed as a brick wall with architectural structures in travertine. The installation of shop units on the ground floor of the side wing, which can still be seen today, is typically Roman. They were used for renting and were supposed to bring in additional income.

The great corner protrusion towards Campo de 'Fiori is decorated by the finely chiseled bay window attributed to Andrea Bregno. The brick and travertine side facing Via del Pellegrino follows the original street layout. At the rear it is embellished with a finely sculpted balcony. The garden side, which was renovated in brick between 1885 and 1888, shows a uniform subdivision, similar to that on Corso Vittorio II.

At the four corners of the building are the coats of arms of those popes who have made a contribution to the building: Sixtus IV. , Julius II. , Pius XI. and Pius XII.

  • Sixtus IV coat of arms

  • Julius II coat of arms

  • Coat of arms of Pius XI.

  • Coat of arms of Pius XII.

patio

Cortile (courtyard)

The main entrance leads to the courtyard known as the 'Cortile des Bramante'. The design for this masterpiece of Renaissance architecture is attributed to Donato Bramante . The execution could have been done according to various sources by Antonio da Sangallo the Elder or by Andrea Bregno, who also executed many details of decorative sculpture on the palace.

The inner courtyard of the palace, clearly structured and of filigree elegance, is in its lightness the counterpart to the heavy compactness of the facade. The rectangular inner courtyard has three floors. The two lower ones are decorated with arcades on columns, Tuscan rosette capitals and corner pilasters with ornate marble strips. The heraldic rose of Cardinal Riario can be found between the arches, as well as on the keystones of the cross vaults. The top floor is made of brick, emphasized by pilaster strips with composite capitals, between which larger rectangular windows and above smaller arched windows open.

The 44 granite columns on the lower floors are ancient spoils ; most of them probably come from the church of San Lorenzo in Damaso, which forms part of the palace. Some of the columns are said to originally come from the nearby Theater of Pompey or the Baths of Diocletian . With 5 × 8 arcades, a clear width of 20.14 × 32.81 meters (Paul Letarouilly) and two loggias on 3 floors, the courtyard is of unmatched dimensions.

Interior fittings

Hundred Days Hall (Salone dei Cento Giorni)

The most famous room on the first floor is the boardroom, the Salone dei Cento Giorni. The frescoes on the walls of this room were carried out within 100 days by Giorgio Vasari with a large staff of assistants. The painted inscription on the front wall says that Georgius Arretinus (Vasari) completed the picture on the 100th day on behalf of Cardinal Vice Chancellor Alessandro Farnese and urged him to hurry:

ALEXANDRO FARNESIO CARD.VICECANCELLARIO IVBENTE QVVM EXPEDITI OPERIS PICTVRAM NON AB RE NATA PRAECEPS OCCASIO POSTVLARET GEORGIVS ARRETINVS CENTESIMO DIA ITA MVNVS ABSOLVIT NECVIT

MDXLVI

Michelangelo, to whom Vasari had boasted about the short time of completion, is said to have uttered ironically “si vede bene” (it looks like that). The representations glorify the deeds of Pope Paul III. , the grandfather of Cardinal Farnese, who at the age of 15 (1535) appointed him Vice Chancellor of the Holy See as well as Cardinal Deacon of the Church of San Lorenzo in Damaso.

Fresco by Vasari Rewarding the Deserving by Paul III.

Vasari made use of figures by Michelangelo in the Medici Chapel in Florence and on frescoes by Raphael in the rooms . In his biography he writes about the picture cycle “All scenes represent the deeds of Pope Paul III. and each contains a portrait of him painted from life ”. Among other things, the “ Reward of the deserving by Paul III. "," The meeting of the French King Franz I with Emperor Charles V "under the blessing, peace-making hand of the Pope and" Paul III. as builder of Saint Peter ”with the allegorical representations of painting, sculpture and architecture. At the same time, a number of important personalities from contemporary history and ancient times are portrayed. The space is a sum of architecture and painting, of narration and allegory, of text and image, as Gerd Blum writes in his Vasari biography. The humanist and historian Paolo Giovio helped Vasari to develop the extensive range of images. The artist received the considerable sum of 880 scudi for his work.

The fast execution of the frescoes was achieved through the modern-looking, strongly division of labor procedure developed by the painter Raffael . Vasari self-critically reports in his autobiography that it would have been better if it had taken 100 months to do this, but to have done a lot myself.

Cardinal's apartment

The living and working rooms of the cardinal, which also include the chapel of the pallium , are located in a wing on the garden side . The frescoes are by Francesco Salviati . The vaults of the office show biblical scenes executed by Perino del Vaga .

Sala Riaria

On the first floor is Clemens XI's instigation . Sala Riaria, decorated in 1718 and restored in 1939. The tape on the walls shows themes related to the pontificate of Clement XI. glorify.

Stufetta (oven)

In a mezzanine of the north-east wing there is the 'stove', a heated bathroom attributed to Antonio da Sangallo the Younger with the layout of a Greek cross (1515 and 1520). The frescoes in the vault are by Baldassare Peruzzi .

The Church of San Lorenzo in Damaso

The Church of San Lorenzo in Damaso

The church of San Lorenzo in Damaso is entered through a portal on the right of the facade of the palace . This church, one of the oldest in Rome, was built around 380 by Pope Damasus over a house church ( ecclesia domestica ) consecrated to St. Lawrence of Rome . At the beginning of the 15th century, Cardinal Mezzarota-Scarampo expanded it and incorporated it into his magnificent palace. In the course of the rebuilding of the palazzo by Cardinal Raffaele Riario, the church became part of the palace.

During the Napoleonic occupation the church was used as a stable for horses. A thorough restoration was carried out in 1814 by Giuseppe Valadier .

literature

  • Anton Henze: Art Guide Rome and Latium. Reclam, Stuttgart 1994, ISBN 3-15-010402-5 .
  • Ludovico Pratesi: Palazzi e Cortili di Roma. Editori Anthropos, Rome 1988.
  • Johann M. Wiesel: Rome. An art and travel guide. 4th edition, Kohlhammer, Stuttgart 1966.
  • Manfred Wundram (Ed.): Reclam's Art Guide Italy, Volume V: Rome and Latium. Reclam, Stuttgart 1981, ISBN 3-15-008679-5 .
  • Rolf Tomann (Red.): The art of the baroque. Architecture, sculpture, painting. Könemann, Cologne 1997, ISBN 3-89508-991-5 .
  • Marco Bussagli (Ed.): Rome - Art & Architecture. Könemann, Cologne 1999, ISBN 3-8290-2258-1 .
  • Luca Landucci : A Florentine diary, translated, introduced and explained by Marie Herzfeld . First edition Jena 1927; New edition, Diederichs, Düsseldorf / Cologne 1978, ISBN 3-424-00633-5 .
  • Claudio Rendina: Palazzi Storici di Roma. Newton & Compton, Rome, ISBN 88-541-0444-2 .
  • Thomas Pöpper: Sculptures for the Papacy. Pöttner, Leipzig, ISBN 978-3-938442-86-9 .
  • Guida d'Italia, Roma. Touring Club Italiano, 1999.
  • Stefano Infessura , Hermann Hefele (translator): Roman diary. Diederichs Verlag, Jena 1913.
  • Mauro Lucentini: Rome. Paths through the city. Pattloch, Munich 2000, ISBN 3-629-01621-9 .
  • Andreas Tönnesmann : Small art history of Rome. CH Beck, Munich 2002, ISBN 3-406-48616-9 .
  • Christoph Luitpold Frommel: The Roman palace building of the high renaissance. Tübingen 1973.
  • Gerd Blum: Giorgio Vasari, the inventor of the Renaissance. A biography. CH Beck, Munich 2011, ISBN 978-3-406-61455-2 .
  • Jacob Burckhardt : The culture of the Renaissance in Italy. Wegweiser-Verlag, Berlin.
  • Jacob Burckhardt: The Cicerone. Alfred Kröner, Stuttgart undated
  • Baedeker: Guide to Rome. Karl Baedeker Verlag, Ostfildern 2009.
  • Hans-Joachim Fischer: Dumont Art Guide Rome. Dumont Kunstverlag, Cologne 2008, ISBN 978-3-770-15607-8 .
  • JND Kelly: Lexicon of the Popes. Reclam, Stuttgart 2005, ISBN 3-15-010588-9 .
  • Giorgio Vasari : Le vite de 'più eccellenti architetti, pittori et scultori. 2 vols., Einaudi, 1968.
  • Giorgio Vasari: My life. Wagenbach, Berlin 2005, ISBN 3-8031-5026-4 .
  • Arcangelo Corelli: Sonata à 3rd Opera Quarta, Rome 1694. CD booklet, GCD 921207.

Web links

Commons : Palazzo della Cancelleria (Rome)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Stefano Infessura: Roman Diary, p.66
  2. ^ Jacob Burckhardt: The culture of the Renaissance in Italy. , P. 72
  3. ↑ Stefano Infessura: Roman Diary, pages 232 f
  4. ↑ Agostino Chigi, Biografia di Francesco Dante; Enciclopedia Trecciani
  5. ^ Note from Luca Landucci: A Florentine Diary , p. 69
  6. ↑ quoted in Luca Landucci: Ein Florentinisches Tagebuch , p. 70
  7. ↑ CD booklet: Arcangelo Corelli, Trio Sonatas, text by Guido Olivieri, p. 17
  8. ↑ Pöpper: sculptures for the papacy , p 325ff
  9. ^ Frommel: The Roman palace building of the high renaissance`
  10. ^ A b Tönnesmann: Small art history of Rome
  11. ↑ Pöpper: sculptures for the papacy S.325ff
  12. ↑ Sometimes also called Via degli Orefici after the many goldsmith shops. Arnold Esch: Roads to Rome
  13. ↑ a b Blum: Giorgio Vasari the inventor of the Renaissance, p. 124ff.
  14. ↑ Vasari: My life

Coordinates: 41 ° 53 ′ 48.1 ″  N , 12 ° 28 ′ 17.5 ″  E