The Palazzo dei Priori is a medieval- Renaissance palace in center of the town of Fermo, region of

Marche Marche ( , ) is one of the twenty regions of Italy. In English, the region is sometimes referred to as The Marches ( ). The region is located in the central area of the country, bordered by Emilia-Romagna and the republic of San Marino to the ...

, Italy. The palace houses the civic art and archeologic museums.

History

The palace was begun in 1296, functioning as a municipal office (city hall). It underwent reconstructions, lastly in 1525, when the dual staircase in the facade was built leading to a portal atop which stand a large bronze statue of a seated Pope Sixtus V in the act of benediction. The statue was sculpted by Accursio Baldi. Starting in 1890, the city library was installed on the premises. In 1981, it became the home of the town picture gallery (pinacoteca). The collection also displays cultural items made and linked to Fermo. Among the artists featured are Andrea da Bologna,

Francescuccio di Cecco Ghissi Francescuccio Ghissi, also called Francesco di Cecco Ghissi, ( fl. 1359 – 1395) was an Italian painter. His exact date of birth and death are not known. Ghissi was an exponent of the Gothic style, active especially in the Marche region of cen ...

, Jacobello del Fiore (''Life of Santa Lucia''), Vittore Crivelli ('' Crucifixion''), Vincenzo Pagani,

Giuliano Presutti Giuliano Presutti or Persciutti or Presciutti (active, Fano, 1490 – Ancona, 1557 was an Italian painter of the Renaissance period, active in Marche and Umbria. Biography He was a follower of either Antonio Solario or Vittore Crivelli, altho ...

Giovanni Lanfranco Giovanni Lanfranco (26 January 1582 – 30 November 1647) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period. Biography Giovanni Gaspare Lanfranco was born in Parma, the third son of Stefano and Cornelia Lanfranchi, and was placed as a page in the ho ...

(''Pentecost''), and Peter Paul Rubens ( ''Adoration of the Shepherds'', 1608). The palace has a ''Sala del Mappamondo'' (Hall of the World Map), completed in 1688 by Adamo Sacripante on commission of the local Cardinal Decio Azzolino. The ''world map'' (globe) was completed in 1713 by the geographer Silvestro Amanzio Maroncelli. The room and its collection of ancient books and manuscripts was the nucleus of the 17th century collection started by the Cardinal with the help of his friend, Christina, Queen of Sweden. It is now part of the larger collection of the Biblioteca Spezioli, housed in this palace and the adjacent building.Marche tourism site
entry on palace.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fermo Palaces in Marche Museums in Marche Renaissance architecture in le Marche Art museums and galleries in Marche