Ca' Loredan is a 13th-century Romanesque-style former palace of the

Loredan family The House of Loredan (, ) is a Venetian noble family of supposed ancient Roman origin, which has played a significant role in shaping the history of the entire Mediterranean. A political dynasty, the family has throughout the centuries produced a ...

located on the Grand Canal in

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

, northern

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. It is located in the ''

sestiere A (plural: ) is a subdivision of certain Italian towns and cities. The word is from (‘sixth’), so it is thus used only for towns divided into six districts. The best-known example is the ''sestieri'' of Venice, but Ascoli Piceno, Genoa, M ...

'' (district) of

San Marco San Marco is one of the six sestiere (Venice), sestieri of Venice, lying in the heart of the city as the main place of Venice. San Marco also includes the island of San Giorgio Maggiore. Although the district includes Piazza San Marco, Saint ...

and faces the Grand Canal, not far from the

Rialto Bridge The Rialto Bridge ( it, Ponte di Rialto; vec, Ponte de Rialto) is the oldest of the four bridges spanning the Grand Canal in Venice, Italy. Connecting the ' (districts) of San Marco and San Polo, it has been rebuilt several times since its fir ...

. Together with the annexed Ca' Farsetti, it is currently home to the city's municipal council.

History

Ca' Loredan was built in the 13th century as a Venetian-Byzantine fondaco for the Boccasi family, which died out in the 15th century. According to some historians, it became the residence of

Doge A doge ( , ; plural dogi or doges) was an elected lord and head of state in several Italian city-states, notably Venice and Genoa, during the medieval and renaissance periods. Such states are referred to as " crowned republics". Etymology The ...

Jacopo Contarini after he retired to private life, and passed to the Zane family. In the following centuries it was enlarged and heavily modified, by the Cornaro Piscopia family, who took possession of it during the fourteenth century according to the will of Federico Corner, the richest merchant of his time. The most significant restructuring was carried out during the sixteenth century. In 1646, Elena Lucrezia Cornaro Piscopia was born there, a philosopher, who went down in history for being the first female graduate in history: she received this title on 25 June 1678. The event, which had a wide international impact, is commemorated by a marble plaque. In 1703 it became the home of the

, who obtained it thanks to a marriage between a daughter of Girolamo Corner and Giovanni Battista Loredan. It became the property of Countess Campagna Peccana in 1816 and was transformed into a hotel. In 1867 it passed to the municipality of Venice and became the seat of the city hall together with Ca' Farsetti.

Architecture

Ca' Loredan is a building whose oldest nucleus is in the Venetian-Byzantine style, being among the buildings on the Grand Canal that most preserve its traces despite the renovations. The ground floor has a central

portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cult ...

closed by five raised arches, supported by four

Corinthian columns The Corinthian order (Greek: Κορινθιακός ρυθμός, Latin: ''Ordo Corinthius'') is the last developed of the three principal classical orders of Ancient Greek architecture and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric order w ...

, above which, on the

noble floor The ''piano nobile'' (Italian for "noble floor" or "noble level", also sometimes referred to by the corresponding French term, ''bel étage'') is the principal floor of a palazzo. This floor contains the main reception and bedrooms of the hous ...

, there is a heptaphora (seven windows) in the same style. On the two sides of the portico, symmetrically, there are two round windows, which correspond to a three-light window on the main floor. This hole is closed by mostly circular

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

decorations. The second piano nobile, which, albeit at the rear, attempts to emulate the style of the first, is characterized by a large central multi-lancet window, echoed by lateral single-lancet windows. The building, whose right side is characterized by the presence of numerous single lancet windows and the earth portal, is distinguished by having four overpasses that connect it to Ca' Farsetti. At the rear, it has a long courtyard that separates the two secondary wings: numerous arched openings overlook it and it houses various wells. The main floor contains the Council Hall, which houses works of art by Benedetto Caliari,

Gregorio Lazzarini Gregorio Lazzarini (1657 – 10 November 1730) was an Italian painter of mythological, religious and historical subjects, as well as portraits. One of the most successful Venetian artists of the day, a prominent teacher, and father to a signific ...

and

Bonifazio Veronese Bonifacio Veronese, birth name: Bonifacio de' PitatiAlso known as Bonifazio Veneziano (1487 – 19 October 1553) was an Italian Renaissance painter who was active in the Venetian Republic. His work had an important influence on the younger ge ...

Use in fiction

This is one of the potential locations of the Banco di Niccolò in Dorothy Dunnett's House of Niccolò series.

Bibliography

* Marcello Brusegan, ''La grande guida dei monumenti di Venezia''. Rome, Newton & Compton, 2005. . * ''Guida d'Italia – Venezia''. 3ª ed. Milan, Touring Editore, 2007. . * Marcello Brusegan, I Palazzi di Venezia, Rome, Newton & Compton, 2007, .

References

{{reflist Loredan Loredan Romanesque architecture in Venice Gothic architecture in Venice Houses completed in the 15th century * *