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Palazzo Giustiniani, Rome
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Palazzo Giustiniani, Rome
Palazzo Giustiniani or the Piccolo Colle (Little Hill) is a palace on the Via della Dogana Vecchia and Piazza della Rotonda, in Sant'Eustachio, Rome.
The palace contains the official residence of the President of the Senate of the Republic, the Sala Zuccari, the offices of the Life senators and former presidents of Italy, and some administrative offices. From 1901 until 1985, it was also the seat of the Masonic order of the Grand Orient of Italy.
The palace was built near the Pantheon at the end of the 16th century for Monsignor Francesco Vento, but in 1590 it was acquired by Giuseppe Giustiniani, a member of the Genoese Giustiniani family who had served as Governor of Chios. His son, Cardinal Benedetto Giustiniani, linked it to other buildings until it encompassed an entire city block. The Cardinal's brother, Vincenzo Giustiniani, acquired an art collection of some 1600 items for the palace, including ancient statues and paintings by Giorgione, Titian, Raphael, and Caravaggio.
The original design of the building was produced by Giovanni Fontana, probably with assistance from his brother Domenico Fontana. It underwent various renovations throughout the first half of the seventeenth century, culminating in the work of Francesco Borromini, who is responsible for the doorway and the balcony above it, which are visible from the Dogana Vecchia, and an elegant internal courtyard, with an atrium containing lowered arches characteristic of Borromini's style.
In 1859, with the extinction of the main line of the Giustiniani family, the palace became the property of the Grazioli, who leased it to the Grande Oriente d'Italia masonic order in 1898. The Grande Oriente made it their headquarters on 21 April 1901; initiates referred to the palace as the "Vaticano Verde" or the "Vaticano dei 33.". In 1917 a person of unsound mind killed Achille Ballori, Grand Commander of the Scottish Rite and associate Grand Master of the Grande Oriente d'Italia in the palace.
At the beginning of 1926, Mussolini's regime outlawed Freemasonry and confiscated the palace for the use of the Senate. Litigation about this was resolved amicably in 1960 with an agreement between the society and Minister Giuseppe Trabucchi, which was proposed by US Secretary of State Christian Herter. Under this agreement, the part of the palace abutting the Piazza della Rotonda remained under the Freemasons' control. The Senate only gained control of the whole palace in 1985, when the Freemasons relocated to the Villa del Vascello on Janiculum Hill.
In 1938, an underground passage was built connecting the palace to the Palazzo Madama, the seat of the Italian Senate. This tunnel still exists.
The palace was used as an official residence by Enrico De Nicola as provisional head of state from 1946 to 1948, instead of the more imposing Quirinal Palace, which had previously been the palace of the Popes and the Kings of Italy and is now the residence of the President of Italy. As such, the confirmation of the Italian Constitution by De Nicola took place at Palazzo Giustiniani, in the library.
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Palazzo Giustiniani, Rome
Palazzo Giustiniani or the Piccolo Colle (Little Hill) is a palace on the Via della Dogana Vecchia and Piazza della Rotonda, in Sant'Eustachio, Rome.
The palace contains the official residence of the President of the Senate of the Republic, the Sala Zuccari, the offices of the Life senators and former presidents of Italy, and some administrative offices. From 1901 until 1985, it was also the seat of the Masonic order of the Grand Orient of Italy.
The palace was built near the Pantheon at the end of the 16th century for Monsignor Francesco Vento, but in 1590 it was acquired by Giuseppe Giustiniani, a member of the Genoese Giustiniani family who had served as Governor of Chios. His son, Cardinal Benedetto Giustiniani, linked it to other buildings until it encompassed an entire city block. The Cardinal's brother, Vincenzo Giustiniani, acquired an art collection of some 1600 items for the palace, including ancient statues and paintings by Giorgione, Titian, Raphael, and Caravaggio.
The original design of the building was produced by Giovanni Fontana, probably with assistance from his brother Domenico Fontana. It underwent various renovations throughout the first half of the seventeenth century, culminating in the work of Francesco Borromini, who is responsible for the doorway and the balcony above it, which are visible from the Dogana Vecchia, and an elegant internal courtyard, with an atrium containing lowered arches characteristic of Borromini's style.
In 1859, with the extinction of the main line of the Giustiniani family, the palace became the property of the Grazioli, who leased it to the Grande Oriente d'Italia masonic order in 1898. The Grande Oriente made it their headquarters on 21 April 1901; initiates referred to the palace as the "Vaticano Verde" or the "Vaticano dei 33.". In 1917 a person of unsound mind killed Achille Ballori, Grand Commander of the Scottish Rite and associate Grand Master of the Grande Oriente d'Italia in the palace.
At the beginning of 1926, Mussolini's regime outlawed Freemasonry and confiscated the palace for the use of the Senate. Litigation about this was resolved amicably in 1960 with an agreement between the society and Minister Giuseppe Trabucchi, which was proposed by US Secretary of State Christian Herter. Under this agreement, the part of the palace abutting the Piazza della Rotonda remained under the Freemasons' control. The Senate only gained control of the whole palace in 1985, when the Freemasons relocated to the Villa del Vascello on Janiculum Hill.
In 1938, an underground passage was built connecting the palace to the Palazzo Madama, the seat of the Italian Senate. This tunnel still exists.
The palace was used as an official residence by Enrico De Nicola as provisional head of state from 1946 to 1948, instead of the more imposing Quirinal Palace, which had previously been the palace of the Popes and the Kings of Italy and is now the residence of the President of Italy. As such, the confirmation of the Italian Constitution by De Nicola took place at Palazzo Giustiniani, in the library.
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