The Ducal Palace of Modena is a

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 ...

palace in

Modena Modena (, , ; egl, label=Emilian language#Dialects, Modenese, Mòdna ; ett, Mutna; la, Mutina) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern I ...

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 was the residence of the Este

Dukes of Modena Emperor Frederick III conferred Borso d'Este, Lord of Ferrara, with the Duchy of Modena and Reggio in 1452, while Pope Paul II formally elevated him in 1471 as Duke of Ferrara, over which the family had in fact long presided. This latter territo ...

between 1452 and 1859. It currently houses a portion of the Italian Military Academy.

History

The Ducal Palace of Modena in the 18th century by an unknown artist

The palace occupies the site of the former Este Castle, once at the periphery of the city. Although generally credited to Bartolomeo Avanzini, it has been suggested that advice and guidance in the design process had been sought from

Pietro da Cortona Pietro da Cortona (; 1 November 1596 or 159716 May 1669) was an Italian Baroque painter and architect. Along with his contemporaries and rivals Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Francesco Borromini, he was one of the key figures in the emergence of Roman ...

Gian Lorenzo Bernini Gian Lorenzo (or Gianlorenzo) Bernini (, , ; Italian Giovanni Lorenzo; 7 December 159828 November 1680) was an Italian sculptor and architect. While a major figure in the world of architecture, he was more prominently the leading sculptor of his ...

and

Francesco Borromini Francesco Borromini (, ), byname of Francesco Castelli (; 25 September 1599 – 2 August 1667), was an Italian architect born in the modern Swiss canton of Ticino

. The Palace has a

façade from which the Honour Court and the Honour Staircase can be accessed. In 1696,

Marcantonio Franceschini Marcantonio Franceschini (; 1648 – 24 December 1729) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, active mostly in his native Bologna. He was the father and teacher of Giacomo Franceschini.''The picture collector's manual'' by James R. Hobb ...

was commissioned to create a frescoed ceiling for the central ''Sala d'Onore'' ("Hall of Honour") for the marriage of Rinaldo d'Este to

Princess Charlotte Felicity of Brunswick Princess is a regal rank and the feminine equivalent of prince (from Latin ''princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or for the daughter of a king or prince. Princess as a subst ...

. The ''Salottino d'Oro'' ("Golden Sitting Room"), covered with gilded removable panels, was used by Duke Francis III as his main office.

Modern use

The Palace currently houses the Italian Military Academy, the Military Museum and a library. Military ceremonies are held in the Honour Court.

Este births and deaths

Being a residential palace, a significant number of Este family members were born or died at the palace including: *

Isabella d'Este Isabella d'Este (19 May 1474 – 13 February 1539) was Marchioness of Mantua and one of the leading women of the Italian Renaissance as a major cultural and political figure. She was a patron of the arts as well as a leader of fashion, whos ...

(1635–1666) - born at the palace. *

Rinaldo d'Este, Duke of Modena Rinaldo may refer to: *Renaud de Montauban Renaud de Montauban (; also spelled ''Renaut'', ''Renault'', Italian: ''Rinaldo di Montalbano'', Dutch: ''Reinout van Montalba(e)n'') was a legendary hero and knight which appeared in a 12th-century O ...

(1655–1737) - born and died at the palace. * Duchess Charlotte of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1671–1710) - died at the palace in childbirth (the child also died). *

Maria Teresa Felicitas d'Este Maria Teresa Felicitas (; 6 October 1726 – 30 April 1754) was a Princess of Modena by birth and Duchess of Penthièvre by marriage. She was the mother-in-law of Philippe Égalité and thus grandmother to the future Louis-Philippe of France. Yo ...

(1726–1754) - born at the palace. *

Ercole III d'Este, Duke of Modena Ercole III d'Este (Ercole Rinaldo; 22 November 1727 – 14 October 1803) was Duke of Modena and Reggio from 1780 to 1796, and later of Breisgau (not resident). He was a member of the House of Este. Biography He was born in Modena, the son of Du ...

(1727–1803) - born at the palace. *

Maria Fortunata d'Este Maria Fortunata d'Este (24 November 1731 – 21 September 1803) was a Modenese princess by birth and a '' princess du sang'' by marriage. By her marriage to Louis François Joseph de Bourbon, Prince of Conti, her first cousin, she became the ...

(1731–1803)

Gallery

File:Palazzo ducale modena esterno.jpg File:Marie Jeanne de Savoie, Duchess of Savoy held at the Ducal Palace of Modena.jpg, Portrait of Marie Jeanne of Savoy as a widow held at the Ducal Palace of Modena, unknown Artist, c.1680 File:18th century canvas painting of the Ducal Palace of Modena by an unknown artist.jpg, Ducal Palace of Modena, 18th century, unknown artist File:Drawing of the Ducal Palace in Modena.jpg, Ducal Palace of Modena, c.1750, unknown artist

References

{{Authority control Houses completed in 1452 Baroque architecture in Modena Este residences Tourist attractions in Emilia-Romagna Buildings and structures in Modena Palaces in Emilia-Romagna Baroque palaces in Italy Royal residences of the Duchy of Modena and Reggio

History

Modern use

Este births and deaths

See also

Gallery

References