Palazzo Montecitorio

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The Palazzo Montecitorio
The new building in the north facing Piazza del Parlamento
The Palazzo Montecitorio in the 18th century
The plenary hall

The Palazzo Montecitorio [ paˈlatt͡so montet͡ʃiˈtɔːrjo ] (or Palazzo di Montecitorio ) is a palace in Rome and since 1871 the seat of the Chamber of Deputies of the Italian Parliament .

Metonymically , the Italian press often only speaks of Montecitorio when referring to the Chamber of Deputies (as an organ).

location

The palazzo is located in the middle of the old town between Piazza Montecitorio in the south and Piazza del Parlamento in the north, about 300 m west of the Trevi Fountain and about 300 m northeast of the Pantheon . To the east of the Palazzo Montecitorio is the Palazzo Chigi , which is the official seat of the Italian Prime Minister .

In 1792 the Obelisco di Montecitorio was erected on the Piazza Montecitorio in front of the baroque main facade , which in ancient times belonged to the nearby Horologium Augusti . The Piazza Montecitorio is separated in the east by the Palazzo Wedekind from the Piazza Colonna , on which the Mark Aurelian column stands in front of the Palazzo Chigi . Today this ensemble forms the political center of Italy.

history

In ancient times, the area occupied by Palazzo Montecitorio was on Campus Martius in regio IX. The palace rises on the monumental site of the Ustrinum of the emperor Mark Aurel and other members of his family.

The etymology of the Palazzo Montecitorio is still unclear today. In ancient times , electoral assemblies may have been held on a small hill, the mons citatorius . According to another explanation, rubble was dumped on the mons acceptorius .

The palace has been built since 1650 to a design by Gian Lorenzo Bernini . The client was Pope Innocent X. In 1694 the building was completed by Carlo Fontana in the Baroque style .

In 1696 the Palazzo Montecitorio became the seat of the papal courts of justice ( Curia apostolica ) . Other authorities were also temporarily housed there.

In September 1870, the Kingdom of Italy eliminated the rest of the Papal States and declared Rome the capital of the country united in the Risorgimento . After the palaces on the Capitol and the Palazzo Venezia had been examined and excluded as the future seat of parliament, the Palazzo Montecitorio was chosen as the new seat of the Chamber of Deputies. The plenary hall, which was built relatively quickly in an inner courtyard and inaugurated on November 27, 1871, proved to be unsuitable, particularly in terms of acoustics and indoor climate , which is why it was completely abandoned in 1900, partly because it was dilapidated. The construction of a new, monumental parliament building, demanded by several parliamentarians, was rejected for reasons of time and costs. Due to the upcoming renovations and extensions of the Palazzo Montecitorio, the Chamber of Deputies had to use a provisional conference room in Via della Missione until the end of the First World War .

Ernesto Basile , one of the leading Italian architects of Art Nouveau, was commissioned with the redesign of the Palazzo Montecitorio in 1902 . Basile left Bernini's main Baroque facade untouched in the south, but tore down the rear wings and parts of the building in 1906. An Art Nouveau building with a square floor plan and four striking towers was built in its place. In the middle of the extension, the new plenary hall, opened on November 20, 1918, was built, in which there are paintings by Giulio Aristide Sartorio, as well as a skylight designed by Giovanni Beltrami and a large bronze relief by Davide Calandra. The foyer designed by Basile is still commonly referred to as the Transatlantico because its interior was taken over by a construction company from Palermo, which mainly fitted out passenger ships . The Transatlantico has become known for informal political talks and agreements. There are countless paintings, engravings, statues and other works of art in the Palazzo Montecitorio.

See also

literature

Web links

Commons : Palazzo Montecitorio  - Album with pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Romolo A. Staccioli: Guida di Roma antica . Milano 1994. p. 343 and (plan) 344.

Coordinates: 41 ° 54 ′ 4.9 "  N , 12 ° 28 ′ 43.3"  E