1 / 8

THE PALACE OF THE POPES

THE PALACE OF THE POPES. ANAGNI. The Palace of Boniface VIII is located at the western corner of Piazza Innocent III. A typical baronial residence, the Palace was built by the Conti family during the first decenniums of the XIII century.

cato
Download Presentation

THE PALACE OF THE POPES

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. THE PALACE OF THE POPES ANAGNI The Palace of Boniface VIII is located at the western corner of Piazza Innocent III. A typical baronial residence, the Palace was built by the Conti family during the first decenniums of the XIII century. Here in 1230 Pope Gregory IX lived and received Emperor Frederick II as a guest.

  2. PALACE BONIFACIO VIII In 1295 the palace passed into the hands of the Caetani family, through its sale by the Contis to Pietro Caetani, nephew of Boniface VIII. There on the night of September 7th to 8th ,1303 , took place the insult made famous by Dante in canto XX of Purgatorio: “I see the fleur-de-lys enter Alagna”. The conspirators, guided by Sciarra Colanna and Guglielmo di Nogaret, entered the city, and thanks also to the complicity of Nicolò Conti, the mayor , and Adinolfo Conti, Capitan of the people, passed through the cathedral, burning the “Matrona” door , and advanced through the covered passage to arrive in the palace itself. The Pope realised the gravity of the situation, and feeling that he had no hope of surviving, prepared to die as pope. He donned the papal mantle and tiara, and with the keys in one hand and the cross in the other, sat on his throne and awaited the coming before him of the traitors and conspirators.

  3. Undoubtedly it is false that Nogaret slapped him or struck him on the cheek with the mailed glove of his armour. But Boniface, a prisoner for three days and convinced that his fate was decided, refused all food. The people of Anagni rose up and the traitors fled. Then after a few days four hundred knights of the Orsinis arrived and escorted Boniface to Rome, where, on October 4th , 1303, he died. Before leaving Anagni he spoke to the people from the steps of the palace and forgave his enemies. The frescoes show scenes of hunting and of games of chess activities suited to a noble knight The birds represented are mainly gamebirds and the decoration of the wall brings to mid one Of the principal interest of the gentry of the time, hunting. The chessboard evokes the great interest of the medieval knights in the game of chess, which metaphorically represented Ideas of warfare, and in particular the battlefield.

  4. Some frescoes decorate the rooms of the second floor, particularly the geese hall and the chess hall. On the same floor there are the offices of the art and History Institute of Southern Lazio. The City-Hall is an interesting example of Romanesque-Lombardique architecture. It was built around 1160 by Architect Jacopo da Iseo . It is the symbol of the laic spirit longing for autonomy class that, for the first time is history, appeared really conscious of his force.

  5. In the XV century the elegant the town’ s crier lodge ( Loggetta del Banditore) was added. In the upper part of the facade some noble and municipal stems “the eagle surmounting the lion” are engraved.

  6. On the entrance facade there are two large round arches beneath where there is a staircase that leads to the first floor. There are five two-mullioned windows above the arches that give light to a covered loggia. On the second floor in the building that is reached by a winding staircase, it is possible to admire the large decorative tapestry inspired frescoed halls.

  7. The back side of the palace is an interesting example of a buildings system with counter-forts that are joined together by arches at the top. This system can also be found in other buildings in the town, and was used in order to solve the static problems originating from the enormous difference in level of the ground.

  8. The Cistercian Sisters’ Institute The Cistercian Sisters’ Institute adjoins the Papal Palace in Anagni. The Institute of the Cistercian Sister of Charity, which has been a congregation of Pontifical status since its beginning, continues the work desired by the Foundress. It dedicates itself to the cultural and religious formation of infants and girls and welcomes groups who come for spiritual retreats or cultural activities. In the educational and civic activities in Anagni, the Palace of the Popes and the Institute of Cistercian Sisters of Charty together illustrate the history of charitable activity.

More Related