The Palace of Justice,

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

(

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

: ''Palazzo di Giustizia'', also colloquially named ''Il Palazzaccio''), the seat of the

Supreme Court of Cassation A court of cassation is a high-instance court that exists in some judicial systems. Courts of cassation do not re-examine the facts of a case, they only interpret the relevant law. In this they are appellate courts of the highest instance. In th ...

and the Judicial Public Library, is located in the

Prati Prati is the 22nd ''rione'' of Rome, identified by the initials R. XXII. It belongs to the Municipio I since 2013, while previously, along with Borgo and ''quartieri'' Trionfale and Della Vittoria, it was part of the Municipio XVII. Its coat of ...

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

of Rome. It fronts onto the ''Piazza dei Tribunali'', the ''Via Triboniano'', the ''Piazza Cavour'', and the ''Via Ulpiano''. The huge building is popularly called in Italian the ''Palazzaccio (the bad Palace)''.

History

Perugia Perugia (, , ; lat, Perusia) is the capital city of Umbria in central Italy, crossed by the River Tiber, and of the province of Perugia. The city is located about north of Rome and southeast of Florence. It covers a high hilltop and part o ...

architect

Guglielmo Calderini Guglielmo () is the Italians, Italian form of the masculine name William (name), William. It may refer to: People with the given name Guglielmo: * Guglielmo I Gonzaga (1538–1587), Duke of Mantua and Montferrat * Guglielmo Achille Cavellini (19 ...

and built between 1888 and 1910, the Palace of Justice is considered one of the grandest of the new buildings which followed the proclamation of Rome as the capital city of the

Kingdom of Italy The Kingdom of Italy ( it, Regno d'Italia) was a state that existed from 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Kingdom of Sardinia, Sardinia was proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, proclaimed King of Italy, until 1946, when civil discontent led to ...

.Touring Club Italiano, ''Collana Guida d'Italia, Roma'' (8th ed., 1993; ), pp. 672–673 (Italian) The foundation stone was laid on 14 March 1888 in the presence of

Giuseppe Zanardelli Giuseppe Zanardelli (29 October 1826 26 December 1903) was an Italian jurist and political figure. He served as the Prime Minister of Italy from 15 February 1901 to 3 November 1903. An eloquent orator, he was also a Grand Master freemason. Zan ...

, Minister of Justice and Keeper of the Great Seal, who had insisted on a prestigious location in the Prati district, where various other new court buildings were already going up.Alberto Tagliaferri, ''Guide rionali di Roma – Rione XXII Prati'' (Rome: Fratelli Palombi Editori, 1994) pp. 57–60 (Italian) The alluvial soil on which the building sits required a massive concrete platform to support the foundations.Armando Ravaglioli, ''Roma inizio secolo'', in the series ''Roma tascabile'' (Rome: Newton Compton, 1995; ), p. 26 Despite this, instability problems developed after the Palace was completed, and settlement led to a need for a painstaking restoration project which was begun in 1970. The excavations for the foundations unearthed several archaeological finds, including some

sarcophagi A sarcophagus (plural sarcophagi or sarcophaguses) is a box-like funeral receptacle for a cadaver, corpse, most commonly carved in stone, and usually displayed above ground, though it may also be buried. The word ''sarcophagus'' comes from ...

. In one of these was found the skeleton of a young woman,

Crepereia Tryphaena Crepereia Tryphaena was a young Roman people, Roman woman, presumably about 20 years old, whose sarcophagus was found during the excavation works started in 1889 for the foundations of the Palace of Justice, Rome, Palace of Justice and for the con ...

, together with a superbly crafted articulated ivory doll, now conserved in the ''

Centrale Montemartini The Capitoline Museums (Italian: ''Musei Capitolini'') are a group of art and archaeological museums in Piazza del Campidoglio, on top of the Capitoline Hill in Rome, Italy. The historic seats of the museums are Palazzo dei Conservatori and Palazz ...

'' museum. On 11 January 1911, twenty-two years after construction began, the building was officially opened in the presence of the King of Italy,

Victor Emmanuel III The name Victor or Viktor may refer to: * Victor (name), including a list of people with the given name, mononym, or surname Arts and entertainment Film * ''Victor'' (1951 film), a French drama film * ''Victor'' (1993 film), a French shor ...

. The building's unusually large size, astonishing decorations, and long period of construction created the suspicion of corruption. In April 1912 a parliamentary commission was appointed to inquire into the matter and it presented its findings the following year.''Commissione parlamentare d'inchiesta sulla spesa per la costruzione del palazzo di giustizia in Roma (Legge 4 aprile 1912, N. 317): Relazione e allegati'' (Rome: Tipografia del Senato, 1913) The affair gave rise to the building's popular and

pejorative A pejorative or slur is a word or grammatical form expressing a negative or a disrespectful connotation, a low opinion, or a lack of respect toward someone or something. It is also used to express criticism, hostility, or disregard. Sometimes, a ...

nickname of ''Palazzaccio'' (''Bad Palace'').

Il Palazzo di Giustizia di Roma 1, foto Augusto De Luca.jpg Il Palazzo di Giustizia di Roma 2, foto Augusto De Luca.jpg Il Palazzo di Giustizia di Roma 5, foto Augusto De Luca.jpg Il Palazzo di Giustizia di Roma 6, foto Augusto De Luca.jpg Il Palazzo di Giustizia di Roma 7, foto Augusto De Luca.jpg

Description

Inspired by late

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

and

Baroque architecture Baroque architecture is a highly decorative and theatrical style which appeared in Italy in the early 17th century and gradually spread across Europe. It was originally introduced by the Catholic Church, particularly by the Jesuits, as a means t ...

, the building is 170 meters by 155 in size and is completely covered with

Travertine Travertine ( ) is a form of terrestrial limestone deposited around mineral springs, especially hot springs. It often has a fibrous or concentric appearance and exists in white, tan, cream-colored, and even rusty varieties. It is formed by a pro ...

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

. Above the façade looking towards the

River Tiber The Tiber ( ; it, Tevere ; la, Tiberis) is the third-longest river in Italy and the longest in Central Italy, rising in the Apennine Mountains in Emilia-Romagna and flowing through Tuscany, Umbria, and Lazio, where it is joined by the Riv ...

it is surmounted by a great bronze

quadriga A () is a car or chariot drawn by four horses abreast and favoured for chariot racing in Classical Antiquity and the Roman Empire until the Late Middle Ages. The word derives from the Latin contraction of , from ': four, and ': yoke. The four- ...

, set there in 1926, the work of the sculptor

Ettore Ximenes Ettore Ximenes (11 April 1855, Palermo 20 December 1926, Rome) was an Italian sculptor. Biography Son of Antonio Ximenes and Giulia Tolentino, a Sicilian noble woman, Ettore Ximenes initially embarked on literary studies but then took up scu ...

from Palermo. Ten large statues of notable jurists adorn the ramps before the main façade and the internal courtyard. The upper part of the façade looking onto the Piazza Cavour is ornamented with a bronze

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...

of the

House of Savoy The House of Savoy ( it, Casa Savoia) was a royal dynasty that was established in 1003 in the historical Savoy region. Through gradual expansion, the family grew in power from ruling a small Alpine county north-west of Italy to absolute rule of ...

. Inside the Hall of the Supreme Court, also known as the Great Hall (or on Calderini's plans as the ''Aula Maxima'') are several

fresco Fresco (plural ''frescos'' or ''frescoes'') is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaste ...

es, begun by

Cesare Maccari Cesare Maccari (; 9 May 1840 – 7 August 1919) was an Italian painter and sculptor, most famous for his 1888 painting ''Cicerone denuncia Catilina'' (usually translated as ''Cicero Accuses Catiline'' or ''Cicero Denounces Catiline''). Early l ...

(1840–1919), who became paralysed in 1909 while the work was unfinished. It was continued until 1918 by Maccari's former student

Paride Pascucci Paride is a masculine Italian given name. Notable people with the name include: *Paride Grillo (born 1982), Italian cyclist *Paride Milianti (born 1934), Italian alpine skier *Paride Suzzara Verdi (1826–1879), Italian patriot, journalist and poli ...

(1866–1954).

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Justice Palaces in Rome National supreme court buildings Rome R. XXII Prati

History

Description

Further reading

References

External links