Morosina Morosini-Grimani (1545 - January 21, 1614) was a Venetian patrician. She was the
Dogaressa
Dogaressa ( , , ) was the official title of the wife of the Doge of Venice. The title was unique for Venice: while the head of the Republic of Genoa were also called Doge, the wives of the Doges of Genoa were not called ''Dogaressa'', nor did t ...
of
Venice
Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The isla ...
from 1595 to 1606.
Life
Morosina Morosini-Grimani was the daughter of Andrea
Morosini Morosini is an Italian surname. Notable people with the surname include:
*Morosini family
*Piermario Morosini (1986–2012), Italian footballer
* Sergio Rossetti Morosini (1953– ), New York author, painter, sculptor and independent filmmaker, ha ...
, a wealthy
Venetian patrician
Patrician may refer to:
* Patrician (ancient Rome), the original aristocratic families of ancient Rome, and a synonym for "aristocratic" in modern English usage
* Patrician (post-Roman Europe), the governing elites of cities in parts of medieval ...
. She married in 1560 to
Marino Grimani.
With her spouse's election as
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 ...
in 1595, her own
coronation
A coronation is the act of placement or bestowal of a crown upon a monarch's head. The term also generally refers not only to the physical crowning but to the whole ceremony wherein the act of crowning occurs, along with the presentation of ot ...
as
official dogaressa
consort __NOTOC__
Consort may refer to:
Music
* "The Consort" (Rufus Wainwright song), from the 2000 album ''Poses''
* Consort of instruments, term for instrumental ensembles
* Consort song (musical), a characteristic English song form, late 16th–earl ...
was conducted with enormous pomp and
ceremony in May 1597. No other dogaressa would be crowned after her until
Elisabetta Querini
Elisabetta Querini (November 12, 1628 in Venice – January 19, 1709 in Venice) was the Dogaressa of Venice by marriage to the Doge Silvestro Valier (r. 1694-1700).
Querini is described as the only Venetian dogaressa of any significance of t ...
in 1694, who would be the last dogaressa to be crowned. The ceremony was conducted with the purpose of surpassing all previous seen in Venice, and celebrated with processions of gondolas, banquets for foreign princes and ambassadors and dignitaries of the church, and the dogaressa was given the
Golden Rose
The Golden Rose is a gold ornament, which popes of the Catholic Church have traditionally blessed annually. It is occasionally conferred as a token of reverence or affection. Recipients have included churches and sanctuaries, royalty, military ...
by the Papal envoy.
Dogaressa Morosina was described as ambitious, gracious and hospitable. She became the
patron
Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings, popes, and the wealthy have provided to artists su ...
of the famous
lace-making
Lace is a delicate fabric made of yarn or thread in an open weblike pattern, made by machine or by hand. Generally, lace is divided into two main categories, needlelace and bobbin lace, although there are other types of lace, such as knitted o ...
industry
Industry may refer to:
Economics
* Industry (economics), a generally categorized branch of economic activity
* Industry (manufacturing), a specific branch of economic activity, typically in factories with machinery
* The wider industrial sector ...
at
Burano
Burano is an island in the Venetian Lagoon, northern Italy, near Torcello at the northern end of the lagoon, known for its lace work and brightly coloured homes. The primary economy is tourism.
Geography
Burano is from Venice, a 45-minute t ...
, and established a
committee
A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly. A committee is not itself considered to be a form of assembly. Usually, the assembly sends matters into a committee as a way to explore them more ...
to promote and popularize the
craft
A craft or trade is a pastime or an occupation that requires particular skills and knowledge of skilled work. In a historical sense, particularly the Middle Ages and earlier, the term is usually applied to people occupied in small scale pro ...
among the upper class women of Venice.
Morosina survived her spouse and died at the age of seventy. She did not follow the tradition that the dowager dogaressa should enter a convent, but devoted herself to charitable and devout projects. She restored the
church
Church may refer to:
Religion
* Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities
* Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination
* Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship
* C ...
of
San Sebastiano from her own private fortune.
References
* Staley, Edgcumbe:
The dogaressas of Venice : The wives of the doges', London : T. W. Laurie, 1910
{{DEFAULTSORT:Morosini-Grimani, Morosina
Lace
1545 births
1614 deaths
16th-century Venetian people
17th-century Venetian people
House of Grimani
Dogaressas of Venice
House of Morosini
16th-century Venetian women
17th-century Venetian women
Italian patrons of the arts