Piazza Farnese
| Piazza Farnese | |
|---|---|
| Place in Rome | |
 Panoramic view of the Piazza Farnese |
|
| Basic data | |
| place | Rome |
| District | Rione Regola |
| Confluent streets | Via dei Farnesi, Vicolo del Gallo, Via del Mascherone, Via della Corda, Via dei Baullari, Via di Monserrato |
| Buildings | Palazzo Farnese , Santa Brigida , Palazzo Picchini, Palazzo Mandosi Mignanelli |
| use | |
| User groups | Pedestrian traffic , bicycle traffic |
The Piazza Farnese is a square in the historic center of Rome , in the quarter Regola . It is dominated by one of the most important Roman family palaces of the Renaissance, the eponymous Palazzo Farnese . The square was laid out in the course of the construction of the palazzo, the design with two fountains made from antique tubs goes back to the 17th century.
location
The rectangular, approx. 3650 m² square is located in what is now the UNESCO-protected old town of Rome, in the VII. Rione Regola. In ancient times, this urban area in the Tiber loop belonged to the Marsfeld . In the course of the urban renewal program promoted in particular by Popes Sixtus IV (1471–1484) and Julius II (1503–1513), a. a. the Ponte Sisto , the pilgrim street Via Pellegrino and the wide, dead straight Via Giulia , the former boulevard that leads to Castel Sant'Angelo and the Vatican and is richly filled with palaces and churches. Well-known city palaces such as Palazzo Venezia and Palazzo della Cancelleria were also built in the immediate vicinity of Palazzo Farnese and its piazza. The overall structural complex can also be seen as part of the clerically ambitious urban development program.
The square is bordered to the northwest by Via dei Farnesi, which merges into Vicolo del Gallo and leads directly to Campo dei Fiori , a central square for merchants, pilgrims and travelers since the Middle Ages. Via del Mascherone, bounding the Palazzo and the Piazza to the southeast, joins the Campo dei Fiori as Via della Corda, as does Via dei Baullari, the connecting road opposite the main portal of the Palazzo. These streets were all regulated or expanded in the course of the palace construction. The alleys Vicolo de'Venti and Vicolo del Giglio connect the Piazza Farnese with the south-east located Piazza della Quercia with the church of Santa Maria della Quercia . Via di Monserrato takes from Piazza Farnese its output and goes past that of Antonio da Sangallo the Younger 1518-built church of Santa Maria di Montserrato towards Ponte Sant'Angelo and Castel Sant'Angelo . In the 16th century it was part of the pilgrimage to the seven churches of Rome , one of St. Philipp Neri revived tradition, who also lived on this street for some time.
history
The history of the square is directly linked to the history of the origins of Palazzo Farnese . Cardinal Alessandro Farnese, later Pope Paul III. (1534–1549) had one of the largest city palaces in Rome built for himself and his family. From the beginning, the Piazza Farnese was planned as a forecourt so that the mighty palace could develop its appropriate effect. At the time construction began, around 1517, Via della Regola ran along the northeast side of the palace, the future main facade. It was the stretch of road between today's Via di Monserrato and Vicolo dei Venti. On the opposite side of the street from the palace facade stood a number of different houses belonging to the Ospedale di San Salvatore, the doctor Giovanni Battista Jari, a small one to Sigismondo Chigi, the Ospedale San Luigi rented to Lucrezia Jari and two smaller ones to the doctor Francesco Fusconi di Norcia . Cardinal Alessandro Farnese bought these buildings and had them demolished in order to gain the desired area for the planned space. The architects Antonio da Sangallo the Younger and Michelangelo Buonarroti were mainly entrusted with the construction of the palazzo, and the architects Giacomo Barozzi da Vignola and Giacomo della Porta when it was finally completed in the mid-16th century . Michelangelo gave the monumental facade facing the square with the pronounced cornice its present form. It was to set the style for many other buildings up until the Neo-Renaissance period. Under Odoardo Farnese (1573–1626), the son of Alessandro Farnese and appointed cardinal in 1591, the palace with the Galleria Farnese of the Carracci brothers from Bologna received its now so famous interior. He had the two monumental fountains set up in the Piazza Farnese. For a long time, the square was the venue for tournaments, bullfights and the venue for folk festivals. Festive water games were also held in the summer.
Buildings in Piazza Farnese
Farnese Palace (1)
Santa Brigida (2)
Palazzo Picchini (3)
Palazzo Mandosi Mignanelli (4)
- Like a stage prospect, the Palazzo Farnese (1) forms the spatial closure of the piazza, which was completed in its current form in 1549 and whose long side it completely occupies. The well-proportioned buildings in the area further emphasize its size. Its compact appearance earned the palace the nickname "Dado" (cube). The building has been leased to the French Republic for 99 years since 1936 and is the seat of the French embassy in Italy.
- The church of Santa Brigida with the mother house of the Birgittines (2) in Rome, the order named after St. Birgitta of Sweden , is a building from the 15th century. The Swedish saint lived and died here in 1373, and her rooms can still be visited today.
The first Vadstena monastery, founded by Birgitta, received the former property in 1383 as a donation from a noble Roman woman. After the foundation was confirmed by Pope Eugene IV in 1432, the order built a Swedish pilgrim house with a hospice and a church in the 15th century. During the turmoil of the Reformation, the pilgrims' house temporarily served as a place of refuge for Swedish Catholics and monks from Vadstena. From 1655 to 1689, the former Queen Christine of Sweden , who temporarily lived in the Palazzo Farnese, was given the usufruct of the house by Pope Alexander VII , which led to serious disputes with the Birgitten monasteries. In the General Chapter in Cologne in 1675, the monasteries demanded the return of their former property. They received support from the Bavarian ruling house, in particular from the Archbishop of Cologne, Joseph Clemens von Bayern . In 1692, at the instigation of Cardinal Giovanni Francesco Albani, later Pope Clement XI. , the pilgrim house to the Birgittenklosten Altomünster , the Fathers send to Rome.
The Church of Santa Brigida was built from 1707 to 1710 by Pope Clement XI. completely renovated in baroque style. In the course of the 18th century, especially under the influence of the priests from the Altomünster monastery, who were procurators and representatives of the order at the Holy See , further alterations were made to the buildings. The facade of the church and the interior of the church remained from this period, whereas the buildings inside and outside were again significantly changed after 1855. The construction of the small bell tower dates back to 1894 and is completely different in size and style from the surrounding structures.
Saint Elisabeth Hesselblad , born in Fåglavik (Sweden) in 1870, converted from the Lutheran to the Catholic faith and, following the example of Saint Birgitta, settled in Rome. After receiving her license to practice medicine from Pope Pius X , she re-founded the Order of the Redeemer of St. Birgitta in 1911 and in 1930 she managed to get the house on Piazza Farnese for her order. The mother house of the congregation now offers accommodation to travelers of all nationalities and denominations.
- The Palazzo Pichini (3), also Palazzo del Gallo di Roccagiovane, was started in 1520 by Baldassare Peruzzi on behalf of Ugo della Spina. It was only completed seven years later, when it had already become the property of Francesco Fusconi da Norcia, the papal personal physician of Pope Clement VII and later Paul III. had passed over. At the end of the 16th century, the Pighini family took over the building and from around 1705 had it redesigned by Alessandro Specchi . This resembled the city palace in terms of size and exterior design to the Palazzo Mandosi, while the interior and especially the staircase were elaborately designed. In the keystone of the left arches are the heraldic symbols of the Pighini (tree with bird and snake) and next to it the eagle with crown by Julie Charlotte Bonaparte , the wife of Alessandro del Gallo, Marchese de Roccagiovine. Today the embassy of Cyprus resides in the city palace .
- The Palazzo Mandosi Mignanelli (4) on the southeast side of the square dates from the 17th century and belonged to a noble Roman family.
The other structures in Piazza Farnese are partly reconstructions from the 19th century of older buildings.
The wells
Fountain in Piazza Farnese (5)
Fountain, detail
Fountain, detail
In 1605, Pope Paul V had the Acqua Paola aqueduct built after him, which carried water from the area around Lake Bracciano to Trastevere and on over the Tiber to the Regola district . Pope Gregory XV gave the Farnese a certain amount of water from this pipe to supply their palace. The Farnese then bought the fountain that had previously been in Piazza San Marco and in 1626 commissioned the architect Girolamo Rainaldi to set up the two antique tubs in the square in front of their palace and design them as a fountain. The Egyptian granite tubs are said to come from the Caracalla Baths. The side of each tub is decorated with lion protomes and rings in relief. A complicated structure rises from the middle of the tub: the shallow, shell-shaped fountain is supported by a tall, richly decorated support in the shape of a pomegranate, and the water gushes out of stone lilies, the Farnese coat of arms. Today the wells (5) are fed by water from the Aqua Virgo .
literature
- Giorgio Carpaneto, Claudia Cerchiai, Alberto Manodori, Lodovico Pratesi, Mauro Quercioli, Carlo Villa: La Grande Guida dei Rioni di Roma , Newton & Compton editori, Roma 2001, ISBN 88-8289-388-X .
- Frommel, Christoph L .: Palazzo Farnese , In: Der Römische Palastbau der Hochrenaissance, Tübingen 1973, Vol. I, ISBN 978-3-8030-4551-5 , pp. 123-148.
- Claudio Rendina and Donatella Paradisi: Le strade di Roma , Volume Secondo; Newton Compton, Rome 2004, ISBN 88-5410209-1 .
- Carlo Cresti, Claudio Rendina: The Roman villas and palaces , Könemann 2005, ISBN 3-8331-1422-3 .
Web links
- Piazza Farnese in Roma segreta (ital.)
- Suore Brigidine (Italian, English, German)
- Embassy of the Republic of Cyprus, Rome
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Cresti, Rendina: The Roman Villas and Palaces, p. 110
- ↑ Description of the place on Google.pictures ( Memento from January 15, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ 40 Once = 9.2 liters / second - Storia della città; Università di Roma No. 29, p. 79
- ↑ Tim Jepson: National Geographic: Rome. , Mairdumont, Ostfildern 2008, p. 99
Coordinates: 41 ° 53 ′ 42.3 " N , 12 ° 28 ′ 16.4" E