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The Doge's Palace Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia — Palazzo Ducale ENG A masterpiece of Gothic architecture, the The 14th century palace Doge’s Palace is an impressive structure At the end of the 13th century it became The composed of layers of building elements necessary to extend the palace once more. and ornamentation, from its 14th and Political changes in 1297 led to a significant 15th century original foundations to the increase in the number of people who had Palace. significant Renaissance and opulent the right to participate in the legislative Mannerist adjunctions. The structure assembly meetings. The works, which is made up of three large blocks, would result in the building that we can see HISTORY incorporating previous constructions. The today, started around 1340 under Doge wing towards the St. Mark’s Basin is the Bartolomeo Gradenigo (1339-1343) and oldest, rebuilt from 1340 onwards. The concerned mostly the side of the palace wing towards St. Mark’s Square was built facing the lagoon. In 1365, the Paduan in its present form from 1424 onwards. artist Guariento was commissioned to The canal-side wing, housing the Doge’s decorate the east wall of the Great Council apartments and many government offices, Chamber with a large fresco, while the dates from the Renaissance and was built room’s windows works were done by the between 1483 and 1565. Delle Masegne family. The Great Council — met in this chamber for the first time in The origins 1419. The first Doges Doge Francesco Foscari’s Renovations and The first stable settlements in the lagoon the 15th century probably came just after the fall of the Only in 1424, when Francesco Foscari Western Roman Empire (476). Gradually, was Doge (1423-1457), was it decided to these became more established and are continue the renovation works on the side considered as outposts of the Byzantine of the building overlooking the Piazzetta Empire. At the beginning of the 9th San Marco. The new wing was designed century, Venice enjoyed a reasonable level as a continuation of that overlooking the of independence. In 810, Doge Angelo lagoon: a ground-floor arcade on the Partecipazio moved the seat of government outside, with open first-floor balconies from the island of Malamocco to the area running along the façade and the internal of Rivoalto (the present-day Rialto), when it courtyard side of the wing. The vast Sala was decided the Palazzo Ducale should be dello Scrutinio, formerly the Library, built, however, no trace remains of that 9th was built at the same floor as the Great century building. Council Chamber, and its large windows — and the pinnacled parapet took up the Il Palazzo same decorative motifs as had been used Tintoretto, Il Paradiso previously. The Piazzetta’s façade was The Old Castle (10th–11th Century) completed with the construction of the It is probable that the Palazzo Ducale, Porta della Carta, a work by Giovanni and being protected by a canal, stout walls Bartolomeo Bon. Works on the other wings and massive corner towers, was an of the Palace would not come until later. agglomeration of different buildings These would start with the construction destined to serve various purposes. of the Foscari entrance beyond the Porta Reached by a large fortified gateway where della Carta, culminating in the Foscari Arch. the Porta della Carta now stands, the This work was not completed until Doge buildings within these walls housed public Giovanni Mocenigo’s time (1478-1485). offices, courtrooms, prisons, the Doge’s apartments, stables, armories, and other The other wings of the Palace and the facilities. various fires in the building (1483-1574) In 1483, a violent fire broke out in the The Doge Ziani’s Palace (1172–1178) canal-side of the Palace, which housed the In the 10th century, the Doge’s Palace Doge’s apartments. Once again, important was partially destroyed by a fire, and reconstruction works became necessary Paolo Veronese, Dialettica subsequent reconstruction works and Antonio Rizzo was commissioned, were undertaken at the behest of Doge introducing the new Renaissance Sebastiano Ziani (1172-1178). A great architectural language to the building. An reformer, Doge Ziani radically changed entirely new structure was raised alongside the layout of the entire St. Mark’s Square the canal, from the Ponte della Canonica area. Two new structures were built for to the Ponte della Paglia. Works were his palace: one facing the Piazzetta – to completed by 1510, and in the meantime house courts and legal institutions – and Rizzo was replaced by Maestro Pietro the other overlooking St. Mark’s Basin – to Lombardo, who reviewed the decoration house government institutions. These new of the façade and of the Giants’ Staircase palaces probably had all the Byzantine- in the internal courtyard of the palace. In Venetian architecture characteristic 1515, Antonio Abbondi, also known as Lo features (such as the Fondaco dei Turchi, Scarpagnino, took over from Lombardo, which today houses the Natural History finally completing the works by 1559. The Museum), but unfortunately, only few 1565 erection of Sansovino’s two large traces of this period remain (e.g. parts marble statues of Mars and Neptune at of the ground-level wall in Istrian stone the top of the Giants’ Staircase marked Vittore Carpaccio, Leone di San Marco and some herringbone-pattern brick the end of this important phase. However, pavement). in 1574, another fire destroyed some 1 of the second floor rooms, fortunately The palace after the fall of the Venetian without undermining the structure. Works Republic began immediately to replace the wood Palazzo Ducale was the heart of the furnishings and decorations of these political life and public administration rooms. In 1577, when works had just been of the Venetian Republic. Therefore, finished, another huge fire damaged the when the Republic fell in 1797, its role Sala dello Scrutinio and the Great Council inevitably changed. Venice was firstly Chamber, destroying masterpieces subjected to French rule, then to Austrian, by artists such as Gentile da Fabriano, and ultimately, in 1866, it became part Pisanello, Alvise Vivarini, Carpaccio, Bellini, of a united Italy. Over this period, the Pordenone and Titian. Reconstruction Palazzo Ducale was occupied by various works were rapidly undertaken to restore administrative offices and housed it to its original appearance, completed by important cultural institutions such as the 1579-80. Biblioteca Marciana (from 1811 to 1904). By the end of the 19th century, the structure Giorgio Albertini, Illustrazione dell’antico castello The prisons and other 17th century works was showing signs of decay and the Italian di Palazzo Ducale (X–XI) Until then, Palazzo Ducale housed not only government set aside significant funds the Doge’s apartments, the seat of the for an extensive restoration. Many original government and the city’s courtrooms, but 14th century capitals were removed and also a jail. It was only in the second half substituted and the originals now form of the 16th century that Antonio da Ponte the collection in the Museo dell’Opera. All ordered the construction of new prisons, public offices were moved elsewhere, with built by Antonio Contin around 1600, which the exception of the State Office for the were linked to the Doge’s Palace by the Protection of Historical Monuments, which Bridge of Sighs. This transfer of the prisons is still housed in the building, but under left the old space on the ground floor of the current name of Superintendence the palace free, and at the beginning of the of the Environmental and Architectural 17th century works began to restructure Heritage of Venice and its Lagoon. In 1923, the courtyard. A colonnade was created the Italian State, owner of the building, in the wing that houses the courtrooms appointed the City Council to manage it similar to that of the Renaissance façade, as a public museum. In 1996, the Doge’s while on the inner side a marble façade Palace became part of the Civic Museums was constructed alongside the Foscari of Venice network. Giorgio Albertini, Illustrazione di Palazzo Ducale all’epoca del doge Ziani (1172-78) Arch, decorated with blind arches and — surmounted by a clock (1615), a design by Bartolomeo Manopola. 2 The Courtyard The Loggias Having entered the palace by the Porta del The visit itinerary walks you through the 0. Frumento, the oldest side of the building, Renaissance wing, from the Censors’ you can see the Piazzetta wing to the left Staircase to the Gold Staircase, leading THE COURTYARD and the Renaissance wing to the right. you to the upper floors, where various The north side of the courtyard is closed State Government offices were situated. AND LOGGIAS by the junction between the Palace and Two plaques here are worthy of note: one, St. Mark’s Basilica, which used to be from 1362, has Gothic lettering dating the Doge’s chapel. At the center of the from the papacy of Urban V and promises courtyard stand two well-heads dating indulgences to those who give alms to the from the mid-16th century. Used for formal incarcerated; the other plaque, a work by entrances, the Giants’ Staircase is guarded Alessandro Vittoria which stands by the by Sansovino’s two colossal statues of Giants’ Staircase and can be more easily Mars and Neptune, which represents seen at the end of the visit, celebrates Venice’s power by land and by sea. The French King Henri III’s visit to Venice in rounded arch dedicated to Doge Francesco 1574. Foscari (1423-1457) alternates bands of — Istrian stone and red Verona marble and Entrance links the Giants’ Staircase to the Porta 1 The Museo dell’Opera della Carta through which visitors today leave the palace.
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