Procuratie

The Procuratie (English: Procuracies) are three connected buildings along the perimeter of Saint Mark's Square in Venice, Italy. Two of the buildings, the Procuratie Vecchie (Old Procuracies) and the Procuratie Nuove (New Procuracies), were constructed by the procurators of Saint Mark, the second-highest dignitaries in the government of the Republic of Venice, who were charged with administering the treasury of the Church of Saint Mark as well as the financial affairs of state wards and trust funds established on behalf of religious and charitable institutions.

The Procuratie Vecchie on the northern side of the square was built during the War of the League of Cambrai in the early sixteenth century to replace an earlier structure, damaged by fire. Although the war imposed financial constraints and limited innovation, it was nevertheless the first major public building in Venice to be erected in a purely classical style. It always contained apartments that were rented by the procurators as a source of revenue to finance building projects and repairs. Rental income was significant, given the prestige of the location. But the apartments were eventually sold to raise immediate money for the government, and several of them were subsequently transformed into clubhouses.

The Procuratie Nuove on the southern side housed the official residences of the procurators. Built between the late-sixteenth and mid-seventeenth centuries to replace a series of dilapidated medieval structures, it represented the culmination of an extensive programme of urban renewal that lasted over a hundred years and profoundly transformed Venice's city centre, giving it the appearance of a great classical forum. Both the official residences in the Procuratie Nuove and the rental apartments in the Procuratie Vecchie were built above arcades with space on the ground floor that was rented out for stores, workshops, and later coffeehouses, including the historic Caffè Florian, Caffè Quadri, and Caffè Lavena.

The Procuratie Nuovissime (Newest Procuracies, also known as the Napoleonic Wing) was built during the second period of French occupation (1805–1815) when after the fall of the Republic of Venice, the Procuratie Nuove was transformed into the residence of the viceroy of the Kingdom of Italy. Today, much of the Procuratie Nuove and the Napoleonic Wing house the Correr Museum.

Procurators of Saint Mark

The office of procurator of Saint Mark, considered second only to that of the doge in prestige, was one of the few lifetime appointments in the Venetian government. Da Mosto, ''L'Archivio di Stato di Venezia…'', p. 25 It was routinely occupied by nobles belonging to the most influential families and typically represented the climax of a distinguished political career, although it was often an intermediate position prior to election as doge.In the 1663 edition of ''Venetia città nobilissima et singolare...'', Martinioni records 40 procurators who, beginning in 1275, were subsequently elected doge. For the complete list, see Sansovino and Martinioni, ''Venetia città nobilissima et singolare...'', 1663 edn., pp 299–300.
The office originated in the ninth century with a single procurator ''operis Sancti Marci'', nominated to assist the doge in the administration of the Church of Saint Mark, the ducal chapel. Tiepolo, 'Venezia', p. 886 Over time the number of procurators increased. By the mid-thirteenth century there were four procurators, two of which, the procurators '' de supra'', retained responsibility for the administration of the Church of Saint Mark and its treasury. The other two procurators, called , administered trust funds established as pious donations on behalf of religious and charitable institutions. In 1319, there were six procurators, and in 1443 there were nine. These were divided into three procuracies: ''de supra'' (responsible for the Church of Saint Mark and its treasury), ''de citra'' (responsible for trust funds established in the ''sestieri'' (districts) of San Marco, Castello, and Cannaregio), and ''de ultra'' (responsible for trust funds established in the ''sestieri'' of San Polo, Santa Croce, and Dorsoduro). Beginning in 1516, initially to aid in the economic recovery from the War of the League of Cambrai, supernumerary procurators could also be created in moments of financial constraint in exchange for monetary contributions to the treasury. This amounted to the periodic sale of the prestigious title. The number of procurators fluctuated thereafter: in 1521, there were eighteen. Morresi, ''Piazza san Marco...'', p. 13 At times, the number rose to forty. The effective sale of the position also made it possible for young and ambitious nobles to quickly rise to high office and to consequently exert great influence. In the sixteenth century, notably Antonio Cappello, Vettore Grimani, Federico Contarini, and Andrea Dolfin purchased the office.

In addition to the associated public honour, the office of procurator ensured an active role in the political life of Venice: after 1453, it guaranteed a seat in the Senate. Apart from extraordinary embassies to foreign courts, the procurators were also relieved from the obligation incumbent upon all nobles to accept political appointments, including on the Venetian mainland and in the overseas possessions, thus ensuring their presence in the city.A deliberation of 1305 required that the Great Council specifically authorize a procurator to occupy a seat on any council. Subsequently, in 1388, it was established that only one procurator for each procuracy could hold another government office. But beginning in 1569, the procurators were allowed to serve as ''Savio Grande''. See Da Mosto, ''L'Archivio di Stato di Venezia…'', p. 25. The position also brought economic and financial influence through the management of vast amounts of capital and of investments in commercial and private real estate, in government bonds, and in securities and deposits. With the exception of the Doge's Palace, the procurators ''de supra'' were also specifically responsible for the construction, maintenance, and management of the public buildings around Saint Mark's Square, including the shops, food stalls, and apartments that were rented out as sources of revenue.

Procuratie Vecchie

Historical background

Following the enlargement of Saint Mark's Square in the second half of the twelfth century, several buildings and lands in and near the square were donated as rental properties to the Commune of Venice, principally by Doge Sebastiano Ziani and his immediate descendants.Chronicles date the enlargement of the square alternatively to the reigns of Vitale II Michiel (1156–1172) or Sebastiano Ziani (1172–1178). See Agazzi, ''Platea Sancti Marci…'', p. 79.The Commune of Venice, rather than the doge, is first mentioned as the representative authority of the State in 1143. See Maranini, ''La costituzione di Venezia...'', I, p. 102. Subsequently, the administration of many of the properties was delegated to the procurators ''de supra''.The act is in the State Archives of Venice in PS b. 70, proc. 155, cc. 17–26. See Agazzi, ''Platea Sancti Marci…'', p. 82. The intention was to create a steady flow of revenue in order to fund further work on the Church of Saint Mark and provide charitable assistance to the poor, thus avoiding the need to rely upon private pious donations and state financing. The properties included the long building erected by Ziani along the northern side of the square. As shown in Gentile Bellini's ''Processione di Corpus Domini in Piazza san Marco'' (1496), it was a two-storey building with a series of apartments above and shops on the ground floor that were leased.

A fire in June 1512 destroyed one of the apartments near the clock tower and led to the collapse of a portion of the façade. It was subsequently decided that notwithstanding the financial constraints at the time of the War of the League of Cambrai (1508–1516), the entire structure would be rebuilt as a statement of Venice's self-confidence. Significantly, Marin Sanudo remarked in his diary that the reconstruction was "in order to make it very beautiful for the glory of the land … despite the war" (''"farle di novo e bellissime, che sarà onor di la terra … ben sia la guerra"'').

The architect of the Procuratie Vecchie is not known from any official source, and various names have been suggested, primarily on the basis of stylistic considerations and the prominence of the individual architect at the time. These include Mauro Codussi, Pietro Lombardo, and Antonio Abbondi.Adolfo Venturi, Giulio Lorenzetti, Luigi Angelini, and Lionello Puppi attribute the design to Mauro Codussi who is generally considered to be the architect of the adjacent clock tower. Paolo D’Ancona and Maria Luisa Gengaro attribute the lower two levels to Codussi and the upper floor to Bartolomeo Bon. But Codussi died in 1504, and there is no indication that the substitution of the previous building was planned prior to the fire of 1512. Pietro Selvatico and Julius Baum consider the design of the lower two levels to be the work of Pietro Lombardo, who at the time was over eighty, and attribute the upper level to Bon. Donatella Calabi also suggests Antonio Abbondi, called “Scarpagnino”, due to the similarity of his work at Rialto after the fire of 1514. See Agazzi, ''Platea Sancti Marci…'', pp. 107-108 and Morresi, ''Piazza san Marco...'', pp. 21-25 and 46 (note 40) for bibliographical references. With regard to the sixteenth-century sources, Marin Sanudo mentions the little-known Tuscan architect Zuan Celestro in his diary (1514), whereas Francesco Sansovino in his guide to the city (1581) attributes the design to , the ''proto'' (consultant architect and buildings manager) to the procurators ''de supra''.The name of Bon is confirmed in the witness statement of procurator Melchiorre Michiel in the 1569 case "Proprietà in Campo Russolo". The relative document is in the State Archives of Venice in PS, b. 33, processo 68, fascicolo 2. See Howard, ''The Architectural History of Venice'', p. 129 and Morresi, ''Piazza san Marco...'', p. 87. Howard's text identifies the architect as Bartolomeo Bon since it predates Stefano Mariani's archival research on Pietro Bon, consultant architect and buildings manager for the procurators ''de supra'' who was often confused with Bartolomeo Bon, chief consulting architect for the Salt Office. See Mariani, 'Vita e opere dei proti Bon Bartolomeo e Pietro' for relative documentation and the attribution of various projects. But the precise contributions of Bon and Celestro to the design remain unclear.Deborah Howard suggests that Bon may have simply followed Celestro’s design. See #Howard-History, Howard, ''The Architectural History of Venice'', pp. 129-130. Alternatively, John McAndrew proposes that the layout may be the design of Celestro whereas the façade can be attributed to Bon. See #McAndrew-architettura, McAndrew, ''L’architettura veneziana…'', p. 420. Both Michela Agazzi and Manfredo Tafuri note that a collaboration between Bon and Celestro also existed at the Great School of San Rocco. But Manuela Morresi suggests that the Tuscan architect involved in the Procuratie Vecchie and the Great School of San Rocco may be two separate individuals. See Agazzi, ''Platea Sancti Marci…'', p. 108, Morresi, ''Piazza san Marco...'', pp. 22–25, and Tafuri, ''Renovatio Urbis…'', pp. 130–131. Bon, as ''proto'', was nevertheless responsible for oversight during construction. Howard, ''The Architectural History of Venice'', p. 129

Construction

Bon's superintendence (ca. 1514–1529)

Construction began with the damaged section adjacent to the clock tower and proceeded gradually. To limit the loss of revenue to the procurators, each tenant was evicted only when it became necessary to demolish the apartment in order to continue building. Also, the new shops on the ground floor and apartments above were leased as soon as they were ready. By 1517, the first section had progressed far enough to begin work on the façade with the revetments in Istrian limestone. That same year, the first new apartment was rented out.

With respect to the pre-existing structure, the layout of the new building was altered for the first 24 arcades with the insertion of a small street running parallel to the square. In contrast, the earlier layout, characterized by a series of courtyards, was retained for the remainder of the building, further away from the area damaged by the fire. This indicates that, although documents refer to the demolition of the previous structure, certain parts of it were in fact maintained and reutilized, presumably to minimize costs.Michela Agazzi specifically notes that a doorway from the previous building was discovered inside a wall of the later construction near the Sottoportego di Corte Maruzzi, confirming that portions of the previous building were not demolished. See Agazzi, ''Platea Sancti Marci…'', p. 108. Manuela Morresi, in contrast, argues that the interruption of the lateral street and the return to the previous layout with the series of courtyards was part of a broader effort on the part of the procurators and the Great Council to requalify Saint Mark's Square and discourage certain commercial activities in order to increase the value of the rental apartments. See Morresi, ''Piazza san Marco...'', pp. 25–35.

Sansovino’s superintendence (1529–1538)

Following the death of Pietro Bon in 1529, Jacopo Sansovino, a refugee from the Sack of Rome, was nominated in his place as ''proto'' to the procurators ''de supra''. The final eight bays of the Procuratie Vecchie, containing five apartments, and the five bays along the western side of the square (subsequently demolished) were completed under Sansovino's direction.

Architecture

Layout

Given financial constraints during the War of the League of Cambrai, innovation was limited to design modifications that were aimed at increasing revenue to the procurators ''de supra'', foremost of which was the addition of a floor to increment the number of rental apartments. Also, the number of workshops and stores on the ground floor was increased by inserting a narrow street behind the row of stores that opened onto the square so that each arcade now corresponded to an individual shop.The narrow street, Calle del Cappello Nero, extends for only twenty-four arcades after which the previous design of the inner courtyards was preserved. Previously, the stores and workshops behind were accessible through passageways in the square that connected to small, inner courtyards. See Morresi, ''Piazza san Marco...'', p. 85. On the upper floors, the rooms in the back section, connected by suspended galleries, were destined for servant quarters associated with the principal apartments that looked onto the square.

Façade

The Procuratie Vecchie was the first major building erected in Venice in emulation of classical prototypes. Although many aspects of the earlier Veneto-Byzantine structure were maintained, including the decorative crenellation along the roofline and the succession of two window bays over each of the ground-floor arches, the elongated stilted arch, characteristic of the Veneto-Byzantine tradition in Venice, was updated with Renaissance semi-circular arches, supported on fluted Corinthian columns. Also, the columns on the ground floor, reminiscent of the Doge's Palace, were replaced with square Doric pillars. This adhered to Leon Battista Alberti's recommendation in his architectural treatise, '' De re aedificatoria'', that in larger structures the column, inherited from Greek architecture, should only support an entablature, whereas the arch, inherited from Roman mural construction, should be supported on square pillars so that the resulting arcade appears to be the residual of "a wall open and discontinued in several places".

Later history

The Procuratie Vecchie was rental property managed by the procurators ''de supra'' for much of its history. At various times, the shops on the ground floor housed a goldsmith, glazier, cobbler, engraver, tailor, spice merchant, painter, cutler, old-clothes seller, barber, bookseller, and notary. In 1638, the 'Rimedio' wine shop opened. It was subsequently purchased by Giorgio Quadri and transformed into Caffè Quadri. Other coffeeshops in the Procuratie Vecchie eventually included 'Re di Francia', 'Abbondanza', 'Pitt l'eroe', 'Orfeo', 'Redentore', 'Coraggio', 'Speranza', and 'Specchi'. 'Alla Regina d'Ungheria', the modern-day Caffè Lavena, opened in 1750.

Due to the enviable site, the rents for the apartments above were relatively expensive, ranging from 40 to 70 ducats a year in 1569. But during the war for the control of Crete against the Ottomans (1645–1669), it was necessary to sell the apartments in order to raise money to finance the war effort.The deliberation of the Senate authorizing the sale is dated 15 July 1648. See Mar and others, 'La fabbrica', p. 123. Although the apartments were later repurchased by the procurators, they were definitively sold in 1717.The documents relative to the sale and repurchase in the seventeenth century are in the State Archives of Venice in PS, b. 27, proc. 51, fasc. 4. See Talamini, 'Le procuratie vecchie a Venezia…', pp. 16-43 and 61-64. Inside the Procuratie Vecchie, several of the apartments were subsequently transformed into small gathering places for entertaining, relaxation, and, at times, gambling. These were termed either ''casini'' (little houses) or ''ridotti'' (probably derived from meaning to go, typically to a place of meeting or gathering).It is alternatively suggested that the term derives from ''redutto'', meaning reduced in reference to the practice of closing off sections of apartments in order to create the smaller, more secluded private areas. See Zucchetta, ''Antichi ridotti veneziani...'', p. 19 (note 3). Most notably, the Procuratie Vecchie housed the 'Casin dei nobili', a large clubhouse for noblemen located on the first floor, and the ''casino'' for foreign diplomats, who were not permitted to socialize with the Venetian aristocracy, located in the wing of the Procuratie Vecchie on the western side of the square.Another ''casino'' for the nobles, the ''Casino dei Filarmonici'', existed on the western side of the square in the wing of the Procuratie Nuove. See Molmenti, 'Lettere inedite del patrizio Pietro Zaguri…', p. 95–96 (note 6).

Procuratie Nuove

Historical background

In sharp contrast to the newly built Procuratie Vecchie on the northern side of Saint Mark's Square, the southern side was still lined with several antiquated structures. These included the rent-free apartments erected in the thirteenth century for the procurators as well as their ''ridotti'' (offices), which were located inside a separate building dating back to the reign of Pietro I Orseolo (976–978). This building, the , had originally been constructed as a hospice to give aid and shelter to the pilgrims arriving in the city to venerate the relics of Saint Mark. Later, it served as an almshouse for indigent

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