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 (, , ; egl, label= Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nat ...

, region of

Emilia-Romagna egl, Emigliàn (man) egl, Emiglièna (woman) rgn, Rumagnòl (man) rgn, Rumagnòla (woman) it, Emiliano (man) it, Emiliana (woman) or it, Romagnolo (man) it, Romagnola (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title ...

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 on the

Piazza Maggiore Piazza Maggiore (''Piâza Mażåur'' in the Bolognese language) is a central square in Bologna, region of Emilia-Romagna, Italy. The appearance in the 21st century, generally reflects the layout from the 15th century. The Northwest corner opens i ...

, 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 who specialized in still life. His paintings are noted for their tonal subtlety in depicting simple subjects, which were limited mainly to vases, bottles, b ...

; 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 no ...

, the town libraries.

History

The earliest structure of the Palazzo d'Accursio originally began as the residence of the jurist

Accursius __NOTOC__ Accursius (in Italian ''Accursio'' or ''Accorso di Bagnolo''; c. 11821263) was a Roman jurist. He is notable for his organization of the glosses, the medieval comments on Justinian's codification of Roman law, the ''Corpus Juris Civil ...

, 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 Gaspare Nadi or Guasparo di Nadi (2 November 1418 – 9 January 1504) was an Italian builder famous for his diary (''diario''). He was mistaken by later historians for an architect. He built, but did not design, the library of the Basilica of San ...

. 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 socialist and later social-democratic political party in Italy, whose history stretched for longer than a century, making it one of the longest-living parties of the country. Founded in Genoa in 1892, ...

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 inadvertedly 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 (from Old French ''porte coleice'', "sliding gate") is a heavy vertically-closing gate typically found in medieval fortifications, consisting of a latticed grille made of wood, metal, or a combination of the two, which slides down gr ...

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 and Niccolò d'Antonio d'Apulia. The s ...

(1478) in the upper section. Over the portal is a large bronze statue of the Bolognese

Pope Gregory XIII Pope Gregory XIII ( la, Gregorius XIII; it, Gregorio XIII; 7 January 1502 – 10 April 1585), born Ugo Boncompagni, 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 ...

(1580). A statue in wood and gilded copper of

Pope Boniface VIII Pope Boniface VIII ( la, Bonifatius PP. VIII; born Benedetto Caetani, c. 1230 – 11 October 1303) was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 24 December 1294 to his death in 1303. The Caetani, Caetani family was of b ...

, 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 style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

-style quadratura by

Angelo Michele Colonna Angelo Michele Colonna (21 September 1604 - 1687) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, active in Bologna, northern and central Italy and Spain. He is sometimes referred to as Michelangelo Colonna. Biography He was born in Rovenna. As a ...

and

Gioacchino Pizzoli Gioacchino Pizzoli (Bologna, 1651- 1733) was an Italian painter, active as a history and figure painter during the Baroque period. Biography He was trained in Bologna, and married the painter Maria Oriana Galli da Bibbiena (1656–1749), daughte ...

(1675–1677). The ceiling depicts the following scenes:Bologna municipal website
*

Minerva Minerva (; ett, Menrva) is the Roman goddess of wisdom, justice, law, victory, and the sponsor of arts, trade, and strategy. Minerva is not a patron of violence such as Mars, but of strategic war. From the second century BC onward, the Roma ...

(goddess of knowledge) *

Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury (planet), Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Mars (mythology), Roman god of war. Mars is a terr ...

(god of war), who, along with Minerva, convinces Fame to trumpet the town's virtues. *

Cybele Cybele ( ; Phrygian: ''Matar Kubileya/Kubeleya'' "Kubileya/Kubeleya Mother", perhaps "Mountain Mother"; Lydian ''Kuvava''; el, Κυβέλη ''Kybele'', ''Kybebe'', ''Kybelis'') is an Anatolian mother goddess; she may have a possible forer ...

(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 Greek mythology, myth, Dionysus (; grc, wikt:Διόνυσος, Διόνυσος ) is the god of the grape-harvest, winemaking, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstas ...

, Pomona and

Ceres Ceres most commonly refers to: * Ceres (dwarf planet), the largest asteroid * Ceres (mythology), the Roman goddess of agriculture Ceres may also refer to: Places Brazil * Ceres, Goiás, Brazil * Ceres Microregion, in north-central Goiás ...

, 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 Emeritus of Vulturara e Montecorvino, and ...

: it was previously known as "Royal Hall", since in 1530,

Charles V Charles V may refer to: * 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 * Charles V, Duke of Lorraine (1643–1690) * Infan ...

was crowned King of Italy here with the

Iron Crown The Iron Crown ( lmo, Corona Ferrea de Lombardia; it, Corona Ferrea; la, Corona Ferrea) is a relic and may be one of the oldest royal insignia of Christendom. It was made in the Early Middle Ages, consisting of a circlet of gold and jewels fit ...

(the imperial coronation took place, however, in the

Basilica of San Petronio The Basilica of San Petronio is a minor basilica and church of the Archdiocese of Bologna located in Bologna, Emilia Romagna, northern Italy. It dominates Piazza Maggiore. The basilica is dedicated to the patron saint of the city, Saint Petronius ...

). 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 who was active in Bologna (1591–1600), Rome (1600–1609), Bologna (1609), Viterbo (1609–1610), Bologna (1610), Rome (1610–1617), ...

. 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 wo ...

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 Monuments and historic places of Bologna