Palazzo Corvaja (sometimes spelt Palazzo Corvaia) is a medieval

palace A palace is a large residence, often serving as a royal residence or the home for a head of state or another high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome whi ...

Taormina Taormina ( , , also , ; ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Messina, on the east coast of the island of Sicily, Italy. Taormina has been a tourist destination since the 19th century. Its beaches on the Ionian Sea, incl ...

Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...

, Italy. It was principally built at the end of the 14th century and is named after one of the oldest and most prominent families of Taormina, which owned it from 1538 to 1945. On four main floors and constructed around a courtyard, the Catalan Gothic palazzo is

crenellated A battlement, in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet (a defensive low wall between chest-height and head-height), in which gaps or indentations, which are often rectangular, occur at intervals ...

. The principal floor has fenestration of pairs of

lancet window A lancet window is a tall, narrow window with a sharp pointed arch at its top. This arch may or may not be a steep lancet arch (in which the compass centres for drawing the arch fall outside the opening). It acquired the "lancet" name from its rese ...

s divided by columns. The courtyard walls are decorated by

relief Relief is a sculpture, sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''wikt:relief, relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give ...

s illustrating The Creation. Arab Tower in the Palazzo Corvaja: The tower was incorporated into other parts of the building from the end of the AD 13th century. Today the palazzo is used as an exhibition centre. Palazzo Corvaja at night

History

Corvaja Palace, which is located in Piazza Badia at right angles to the church of

Saint Catherine of Alexandria Catherine of Alexandria, also spelled Katherine, was, according to tradition, a Christian saint and virgin, who was martyred in the early 4th century at the hands of the emperor Maxentius. According to her hagiography, she was both a princess a ...

, The origins of the palazzo incorporate an early Norman

fortress A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from L ...

dating from the 12th-14th century, which in turn was constructed on Roman foundations. It was subsequently added to over various periods up until the 15th century. Its main body is a Norman-style

tower A tower is a tall Nonbuilding structure, structure, taller than it is wide, often by a significant factor. Towers are distinguished from guyed mast, masts by their lack of guy-wires and are therefore, along with tall buildings, self-supporting ...

, and it has an inner courtyard where the Gothic influence can be seen in the arched windows and doorways. A 13th century staircase leads up to the first floor and an ornamental balcony which overlooks the courtyard. In 1410, Corvaja Palace housed the Sicilian Parliament.''Taormina in Tasca'', by Dario Flaccovio Editore, p. 50 It was renovated in 1945 by Armando Dillo, and as of 2009 it is the seat for the ''Azienda Autonoma Soggiorno e Turismo''.

References

Sources

* ''Taormina in Tasca'', published by Dario Flaccovio Editore, June 2003 Studiereis: 417 434 435 441 44C 20 435 434 44F 442 20 441 43E 431 430 43A 443

External links

* {{Coord, 37, 51, 13.88, N, 15, 17, 18.30, E, region:IT_scale:5000_type:landmark, display=title Buildings and structures completed in the 10th century Corvaia Taormina Buildings and structures completed in the 14th century Medieval Italian architecture 14th-century establishments in Italy 10th-century establishments in Italy