260px, Palazzo d'Accursio.
Palazzo d'Accursio (or Palazzo Comunale) is a palace once formulated to house major administrative offices of the city of
Bologna
Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...
, region of
Emilia-Romagna
Emilia-Romagna (, , both , ; or ; ) is an Regions of Italy, administrative region of northern Italy, comprising the historical regions of Emilia (region), Emilia and Romagna. Its capital is Bologna. It has an area of , and a population of 4.4 m ...
,
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
. It is located on the
Piazza Maggiore
Piazza Maggiore (''Piâza Mażåur'' in the Bolognese dialect, Bolognese language) is a central square in Bologna, region of Emilia-Romagna, Italy, largely preserving its 15th century layout. The Northwest corner opens into Piazza del Nettuno wit ...
, and is the city's Town Hall. The palace is also home to the Civic Art Collection, with paintings from the Middle Ages to the 19th century; the Museo Morandi, with the works by
Giorgio Morandi
Giorgio Morandi (July 20, 1890 – June 18, 1964) was an Italian painter and printmaker widely known for his subtly muted still-life paintings of ceramic vessels, flowers, and landscapes—their quiet, meditative quality reflecting the artist's ...
; and the
Biblioteca Salaborsa
Salaborsa is the main public library in Bologna, region of Emilia-Romagna, Italy.
In 2001, the central offices of the public library were moved into the northern portions of the Palazzo d'Accursio, flanking the Piazza del Nettuno, which is just n ...
, the town libraries.
History
The earliest structure of the Palazzo d'Accursio originally began as the residence of the jurist
Accursius
Accursius (Italian: ''Accursio'' or ''Accorso di Bagnolo''; c. 11821263) was an Italian jurist. He is notable for his organization of the glosses, the medieval comments on Justinian's codification of Roman law, the ''Corpus Juris Civilis''. He ...
, but over time, it incorporated and expanded to include adjacent buildings to house civic offices. In 1336 it became the seat of the ''Anziani'' ("Elders"), the highest magistrates of the commune, and then seat of the government. In the 15th century it was refurbished under the designs of the architect
Fioravante Fioravanti, who added the Clock Tower (''Torre d'Accursio''). The bell in the tower was installed by
Gaspare Nadi. Further reconstruction occurred in the 16th century, after the fall from power of
Bentivoglio family in Bologna.
In 1920, in a period of turmoil in Italy caused by the rise of the
Italian Socialist Party
The Italian Socialist Party (, PSI) was a Social democracy, social democratic and Democratic socialism, democratic socialist political party in Italy, whose history stretched for longer than a century, making it one of the longest-living parti ...
in the wake of the end of World War I, and the initial violences of the
Italian Fascist Party, numerous people were killed while a session of the local council was being held inside the palace. Some were shot by Fascist who had invaded the square in front of the palace, firing against Socialist demonstrators, and some by Socialists themselves, who inadvertently threw hand grenades against their fellows from the palace's windows. Further, when news of the massacre in the square reached the meeting, Socialist politicians shot a member of the Liberal Party who also taking part in the council, killing him, while others were also wounded.
Art and architecture
The façade features a
portcullis
A portcullis () is a heavy, vertically closing gate typically found in medieval fortifications. It consists of a latticed Grille (architecture), grille made of wood and/or metal, which slides down grooves inset within each jamb of the gateway.
...
and a ''Madonna with Child'', a terracotta by
Niccolò dell'Arca
Niccolò dell’Arca (c. 1435-1440 – 2 March 1494) was an Italian Early Renaissance sculptor, who worked mostly in terracotta. He is also known under the names Niccolò da Ragusa, Niccolò da Bari, Niccolò dall'Arca, and Niccolò d'Ant ...
(1478) in the upper section. Over the portal is a large bronze statue of the Bolognese
Pope Gregory XIII
Pope Gregory XIII (, , born Ugo Boncompagni; 7 January 1502 – 10 April 1585) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 13 May 1572 to his death in April 1585. He is best known for commissioning and being the namesake ...
(1580). A statue in wood and gilded copper of
Pope Boniface VIII
Pope Boniface VIII (; born Benedetto Caetani; – 11 October 1303) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 24 December 1294 until his death in 1303. The Caetani, Caetani family was of baronial origin with connections t ...
, once here, is now in the Medieval Museum.
The ''Hall of the Communal Council'', on the first floor, is where the Bolognese Senate met, and contains a gallery ceiling frescoed with
Baroque
The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...
-style quadratura by
Angelo Michele Colonna and
Gioacchino Pizzoli (1675–1677). The ceiling depicts the following scenes:
[Bologna municipal website]
*
Minerva
Minerva (; ; ) is the Roman goddess of wisdom, justice, law, victory, and the sponsor of arts, trade, and strategy. She is also a goddess of warfare, though with a focus on strategic warfare, rather than the violence of gods such as Mars. Be ...
(goddess of knowledge)
*
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. It is also known as the "Red Planet", because of its orange-red appearance. Mars is a desert-like rocky planet with a tenuous carbon dioxide () atmosphere. At the average surface level the atmosph ...
(god of war), who, along with Minerva, convinces Fame to trumpet the town's virtues.
*
Cybele
Cybele ( ; Phrygian: ''Matar Kubileya, Kubeleya'' "Kubeleya Mother", perhaps "Mountain Mother"; Lydian: ''Kuvava''; ''Kybélē'', ''Kybēbē'', ''Kybelis'') is an Anatolian mother goddess; she may have a possible forerunner in the earliest ...
(Magna Mater Goddess) pointing to the glory of Olympus, which could also be seen as a metaphor of Papal Power.
*
Bacchus
In ancient Greek religion and myth, Dionysus (; ) is the god of wine-making, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, festivity, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, and theatre. He was also known as Bacchus ( or ; ) by the Gre ...
,
Pomona and
Ceres, who symbolize the fertile lands of the surrounding countryside.
The ''Farnese Hall'', on the second floor, was rebuilt in 1665 by Cardinal
Girolamo Farnese
Girolamo Farnese (1599–1668) was a Roman Catholic cardinal.
Biography
On 26 Apr 1639, was consecrated bishop by Giovanni Battista Scanaroli, titular Bishop of Sidon, with Tommaso Carafa, Bishop of Vulturara e Montecorvino, Bishop Emeritus of ...
: it was previously known as "Royal Hall", since in 1530,
Charles V Charles V may refer to:
Kings and Emperors
* Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558)
* Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain
* Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise
Others
* Charles V, Duke ...
was crowned King of Italy here with the
Iron Crown
The Iron Crown (in Italian, Latin, and Lombard: ''Corona Ferrea''; ) is a reliquary votive crown, traditionally considered one of the oldest royal insignia of Christendom. It was made in the Middle Ages, consisting of a circlet of gold and j ...
(the imperial coronation took place, however, in the
Basilica of San Petronio). The hall was frescoed with stories of the city from the Middle Ages to the 17th century, by pupils of
Francesco Albani
Francesco Albani or Albano (17 March or 17 August 1578 – 4 October 1660) was an Italian Baroque painter of Albanian descent who was active in Bologna (1591–1600; 1609; 1610; 1618–1622), Rome (1600–1609; 1610–1617; 1623–1625), ...
. The Chapel has frescoes (1562) by
Prospero Fontana
Prospero Fontana (1512–1597) was a Bolognese painter of late Renaissance and Mannerist art. He is perhaps best known for his frescoes and architectural detailing. The speed in which he completed paintings earned him commissions where he wor ...
.
References
Page on the palace
{{DEFAULTSORT:Palazzo D'accursio
Houses completed in the 16th century
Accursio
Accursio
Art museums and galleries in Emilia-Romagna
Renaissance architecture in Bologna
Gothic architecture in Bologna