Palazzo della Ragione (Bergamo)

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Bergamo - northeast facade of the Palazzo della Ragione

The Palazzo della Ragione (German about court palace or town hall ) in the northern Italian city of Bergamo is sometimes also called Palazzo Vecchio ('old palace'). The building functioned - comparable to an ancient Roman basilica - as a court in public trials, as a market hall and as a meeting place for the city council; it also served as a representative reception hall for illustrious guests of the city. It stands right next to Bergamo Cathedral ; taken together, both buildings form an obvious ensemble of spiritual and secular power.

Building history

The Palazzo della Ragione, mentioned in a document from 1198 as Palatium Comunis Pergami , was - after the victory of the Lombard League in the Battle of Legnano (1176) - built in the years 1183–1198, but later repeatedly added and redesigned - it is still valid as the oldest (preserved) structure of its kind in Italy. The original building burned down at the end of the 13th century. After the reconstruction was damaged in part by another fire in 1513, the city fathers had it restored in late Gothic styles by the architect Pietro Isabello . Barely noticeable Renaissance elements can only be found in the area of ​​the balcony, which was added in 1544.

architecture

Facade of the second building (14th century) and cathedral

The building, supported by mighty pillars on the outside and four pillars on the inside of the groin-vaulted ground floor, is made of precisely hewn natural stones. The three arches on the ground floor, slightly pointed at the apex, follow a triumphal arch scheme ; two of them are also profiled . Above the central arch there is a balcony that was attached later and from which decrees and other pronouncements were communicated to the townspeople; in some cases illustrious guests of a curious crowd appeared here. Above that, below a segmental arch, is a white marble relief depicting the Venetian Lion of St. Mark , which in its current form dates from 1955; the original was dismantled by French troops in 1509. Show the two richly profiled side window late Gothic Flamboyant - tracery . On the right side of the building, a covered staircase leads to the upper floor, in which the council chamber is located, which is covered by a wooden ceiling.

The older north-west side of the building, elevated by a gable with dovetail crenellations, is also designed as a show side. The 'capital zones' of the pillars with their medieval decor (figures and foliage), a circumferential pointed arch frieze and the profiled borders of the three-lane windows are eye-catching - probably still attributable to the original building.

Others

  • The large council chamber now serves as a museum for various frescoes that were removed from the outer walls of the city palaces of wealthy citizens in the 19th century and brought here. One is by Bramante and shows three philosophers.
  • In front of the left pillar of the new facade is a marble statue of the poet Torquato Tasso from 1681. The poet's father came from an aristocratic Bergamo family.
  • A huge gnomon set into the floor of the first floor dates from 1798 (see weblink and Hôtel-Dieu (Tonnerre) ).

See also

literature

  • Lydia L. Dewiel: Lombardy and Northern Italian Lakes. DuMont, Cologne 1999, p. 150 ISBN 3-7701-4396-5 .

Web links

Commons : Palazzo della Ragione  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 45 ° 42 ′ 13 ″  N , 9 ° 39 ′ 45 ″  E