This MedLibrary.org supplementary page on Quirinal Palace is provided directly from the open source Wikipedia as a service to our readers. Please see the note below on authorship of this content, as well as the Wikipedia usage guidelines. To search for other content from our encyclopedia supplement, please use the form below:
Related Sponsors
 |
This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. (August 2008) |
| Palazzo del Quirinale | |
 The Quirinal Palace housed popes, then kings, and now the President of the Italian Republic. |
|
| Building | |
|---|---|
| Town | Rome |
| Country | Italy |
| Client | Pope Gregory XIII |
| Coordinates | |
| Construction | |
| Started | 1573 |
| Design team | |
| Architect | Domenico Fontana Carlo Maderno |
The Quirinal Palace (known in Italian as the Palazzo del Quirinale or simply the Quirinale) is the official residence of the President of the Italian Republic on the Quirinal Hill, the tallest of the seven hills of Rome.
Contents |
Papal, Royal and Presidential residence
The palace, located on the Via del Quirinale and facing onto the Piazza del Quirinale, was built in 1573 by Pope Gregory XIII as a papal summer residence. It was also used as the location for papal conclaves in 1823, 1829, 1831, and 1846. It served as a papal residence and housed the central offices responsible for the civil government of the Papal States until 1870. In September, 1870, what was left of the Papal States was overthrown. About five months later, in 1871, Rome became the capital of the new Kingdom of Italy. The palace was occupied during the invasion of Rome and became the official royal residence of the Kings of Italy, though in reality some monarchs, notably King Victor Emmanuel III (reigned 1900-1946) actually lived in a private residence elsewhere, the Quirinale being used simply as an office and for state functions. The monarchy was abolished in 1946 and the Palace became the official residence and workplace for the Presidents of the Italian Republic. Some, still, declined the Colle residence and kept their usual Roman residence: for example, Sandro Pertini preferred his old flat near the Trevi fountain.
The façade was designed by Domenico Fontana. Its 'Great Chapel' was designed by Carlo Maderno. It contains frescos by Guido Reni, but the most famous fresco is the Blessing Christ by Melozzo da Forlì, placed over the stairs. Its grounds include a famous set of gardens laid out in the eighteenth century.
See also
Some other Italian institutional buildings:
- Palazzo Madama: seat of the Italian Senate
- Palazzo Montecitorio: seat of the Italian Chamber of Deputies
- Palazzo Chigi: seat of the Italian Government
External links
- Official site of the Presidency of Italy (Virtual tour of Quirinal Palace)
- Satellite image of the palace and its garden Note: One block north east of the Gardens is the Palazzo Barberini. Midway along the long southeast wing flanking the garden, across the street, is the small dome of Bernini's Sant'Andrea al Quirinale. At the next corner north is the inconspicuous church by Borromini, San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane. Diagonal and to the west of the facade, amid a warren of small streets is the turquoise tub-like polygon of the Trevi Fountain.
Gallery
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Wikipedia content modification information:
- This page was last modified on 17 November 2008, at 16:49.
Wikipedia Authorship and Review
Wikipedia content provided here is not reviewed directly by MedLibrary.org. Wikipedia content is authored by an open community of volunteers and is not produced by or in any way affiliated with MedLibrary.org.
Wikipedia Usage Guidelines
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article on "Quirinal Palace".
The URL for this specific entry is:
All Wikipedia text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. (See Copyrights for details). Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.