The Palazzo Colonna () is a palatial block of buildings in central
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 ...
,
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 ...
, at the base of the
Quirinal Hill, and adjacent to the church of
Santi Apostoli. It is built in part over the ruins of an old Roman
serapeum, and it has belonged to the prominent
Colonna family for over twenty generations.
History
The first part of the palace dates from the 13th century, and tradition holds that the building hosted
Dante
Dante Alighieri (; – 14 September 1321), probably baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri and often referred to as Dante (, ), was an Italian poet, writer and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called (modern Italian: ' ...
during his visit to Rome. The first documentary mention notes that the property hosted Cardinals Giovanni and Giacomo Colonna in the 13th century. It was also home to Cardinal Oddone Colonna before he ascended to the papacy as
Pope Martin V in 1417.
With his passing, the palace was sacked during feuds, and the main property passed into the hands of the
Della Rovere family. It returned to the Colonna family when
Marcantonio I Colonna married Lucrezia Gara Franciotti Della Rovere, the niece of
Pope Julius II
Pope Julius II ( la, Iulius II; it, Giulio II; born Giuliano della Rovere; 5 December 144321 February 1513) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1503 to his death in February 1513. Nicknamed the Warrior Pope or t ...
. The Colonna family's alliance to the
Habsburg power likely protected the palace from looting during the
Sack of Rome (1527).
Starting with
Filippo Colonna (1578–1639), many changes have refurbished and create a unitary complex around a central garden. Architects including
Girolamo Rainaldi and
Paolo Marucelli labored on specific projects. Only in the 17th and 18th centuries were the main facades completed, one facing Piazza SS. Apostoli and the other facing Via della Pilotta. Much of this design was completed by
Antonio del Grande (including the grand gallery) and
Girolamo Fontana Girolamo is an Italian variant of the name Hieronymus. Its English equivalent is Jerome.
It may refer to:
* Girolamo Cardano (1501–1576), Italian Renaissance mathematician, physician, astrologer and gambler
* Girolamo Cassar (c. 1520 – after ...
(decoration of the gallery). In the 18th century, the long low facade designed by
Nicola Michetti
Nicola Michetti, also known as Niccolo or Niccolò (circa 7 December 1675 in Venice – 12 November 1758 in Rome) was an Italian architect, active in a late-Baroque style in mostly Rome, Italy and St Petersburg, Russia.
While born in Venice, N ...
, with later additions by
Paolo Posi
Paolo Posi (1708 - 1776) was an Italian architect of the late-Baroque period. Among the cities in which he was active were Rome, Narni, and Viterbo. Among the other works, he designed mausoleums for Cardinal Inico Caracciolo in Aversa, Cardinal G ...
with taller corner blocks (facing Piazza SS. Apostoli), was constructed and recalls earlier structures resembling a fortification.
Colonna Art Gallery
The main gallery (completed 1703) and the masterful Colonna art collection was acquired after 1650 by both the cardinal
Girolamo I Colonna and his nephew, the Connestabile
Lorenzo Onofrio Colonna
Lorenzo Onofrio Colonna (1637–1689) was an Italian nobleman of the Colonna family. He was the 8th Duke and Prince of Paliano and hereditary Grand Constable of the Kingdom of Naples. He was also a Knight of the Golden Fleece.
Biography
Colonna ...
. It includes works by
Lorenzo Monaco,
Domenico Ghirlandaio,
Palma the Elder,
Salviati,
Bronzino,
Tintoretto,
Pietro da Cortona,
Annibale Carracci (painting of ''
The Beaneater''),
Guercino,
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), ...
,
Muziano and
Guido Reni. Ceiling frescoes by
Filippo Gherardi
Filippo Gherardi (1643–1704) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period.
Born in Lucca, he was mostly active in Venice and Rome, where he became a member of the large studio of Pietro da Cortona, often working closely with Giovanni Coli. Wit ...
,
Giovanni Coli
Giovanni Coli (1636–1691) was an Italian painter from Lucca, active in the Baroque style.
He trained with Pietro Paolini in Lucca and then moved to Rome to work under Pietro da Cortona. He often worked alongside Filippo Gherardi. With Coli, Gh ...
,
Sebastiano Ricci, and
Giuseppe Bartolomeo Chiari
Giuseppe Bartolomeo Chiari (10 March 1654 – 8 September 1727), also known simply as ''Giuseppe Chiari'', was an Italian painter of the late-Baroque period, active mostly in Rome.
Biography
Born in Rome, he was one of the main assistants, alon ...
celebrate the role of
Marcantonio II Colonna
Marcantonio II Colonna (sometimes spelled Marc'Antonio; 1535 – August 1, 1584), Duke of Tagliacozzo and Duke and Prince of Paliano, was a Roman aristocrat who served as a Viceroy of Sicily in the service of the Spanish Crown, Spanish gene ...
in the
battle of Lepanto (1571). An ''Apotheosis of Martin V'' was painted by
Benedetto Luti
Benedetto Luti (17 November 1666 – 17 June 1724) was an Italian painter.
Early life
Luti was born in Florence on 17 November 1666.
Career
In 1691, he moved to Rome, where he was patronized by Cosimo III de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, an en ...
. There are frescoed apartments completed after 1664 by
Crescenzio Onofri,
Gaspard Dughet and
Pieter Mulier II (nicknamed "Cavalier Tempesta"). Other rooms were frescoed in the 18th century by
Pompeo Batoni
Pompeo Girolamo Batoni (25 January 1708 – 4 February 1787) was an Italian painter who displayed a solid technical knowledge in his portrait work and in his numerous allegorical and mythological pictures. The high number of foreign visitors tra ...
and
Pietro Bianchi.
The older wing of the complex, now known as Princess Isabelle's apartments, but once housing Martin V's library and palace, contains frescoes by
Pinturicchio,
Antonio Tempesta,
Crescenzio Onofri,
Giacinto Gimignani, and
Carlo Cesi. It also contains a collection of landscapes and genre scenes by painters like
Gaspard Dughet,
Caspar Van Wittel
Caspar van Wittel or Gaspar van Wittel (born Jasper Adriaensz van Wittel; 1652 or 1653 – September 13, 1736), known in Italian as Gaspar Vanvitelli () or (), was a Dutch painter and draughtsman who had a long career in Rome. He played a ...
(Vanvitelli), and
Jan Brueghel the Elder
Jan Brueghel (also Bruegel or Breughel) the Elder (, ; ; 1568 – 13 January 1625) was a Flemish painter and draughtsman. He was the son of the eminent Flemish Renaissance painter Pieter Bruegel the Elder. A close friend and frequent collaborat ...
.
Along with the possessions of the
Doria-Pamphilij and
Pallavicini-Rospigliosi families, this is one of the largest private art collections in Rome.
In popular culture
The ending scene from the 1953 classic film ''
Roman Holiday
''Roman Holiday'' is a 1953 American romantic comedy film directed and produced by William Wyler. It stars Audrey Hepburn as a princess out to see Rome on her own and Gregory Peck as a reporter. Hepburn won an Academy Award for Best Actres ...
'', starring Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck, was shot at the gallery.
External links
Palazzo Colonna website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Colonna, Palazzo
Art museums and galleries in Rome
Colonna
The House of Colonna, also known as ''Sciarrillo'' or ''Sciarra'', is an Italian noble family, forming part of the papal nobility. It was powerful in medieval and Renaissance Rome, supplying one pope (Martin V) and many other church and pol ...
Baroque palaces in Italy
Colonna family
History of Rome
Houses completed in the 13th century
Palaces in Rome
Private collections in Italy
Rome R. II Trevi