Palazzo Montecitorio () is a palace in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

and the seat of the

Chamber of Deputies The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures. Description Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourb ...

, the lower house of the

Italian Parliament The Italian Parliament () is the national parliament of the Italy, Italian Republic. It is the representative body of Italian citizens and is the successor to the Parliament of the Kingdom of Sardinia (1848–1861), the Parliament of the Kingd ...

History

The palace's name derives from the slight hill on which it is built, which was claimed to be the ''Mons Citatorius'', the hill created in the process of clearing the

Campus Martius The Campus Martius (Latin for 'Field of Mars'; Italian: ''Campo Marzio'') was a publicly owned area of ancient Rome about in extent. In the Middle Ages, it was the most populous area of Rome. The IV rione of Rome, Campo Marzio, which covers ...

in Roman times. The building was originally designed by

Gian Lorenzo Bernini Gian Lorenzo (or Gianlorenzo) Bernini (, ; ; Italian Giovanni Lorenzo; 7 December 1598 – 28 November 1680) was an Italians, Italian sculptor and Italian architect, architect. While a major figure in the world of architecture, he was more prom ...

for the young Cardinal

Ludovico Ludovisi Ludovico Ludovisi (22 or 27 October 1595 – 18 November 1632) was an Italian Cardinal (Catholic Church), cardinal and statesman of the Roman Catholic Church. He was an art connoisseur who formed a famous collection of antiquities, housed at the ...

, nephew of

Pope Gregory XV Pope Gregory XV (; ; 9 January 1554 – 8 July 1623), born Alessandro Ludovisi, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 February 1621 until his death in 1623. He is notable for founding the Congregation for the ...

. However, with the death of Gregory XV by 1623, work stopped, and was not restarted until the papacy of

Pope Innocent XII Pope Innocent XII (; ; 13 March 1615 – 27 September 1700), born Antonio Pignatelli, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 12 July 1691 to his death in September 1700. He took a hard stance against nepotism ...

(Antonio Pignatelli), when it was completed by the architect

Carlo Fontana Carlo Fontana (1634/1638–1714) was an Italian people, Italian"Carlo Fontana."
''Encyclopæ ...

, who modified Bernini's plan with the addition of a bell gable above the main entrance. The building was designated for public and social functions only, due to Innocent XII's firm anti-nepotism policies which were in contrast to his predecessors'. In 1696 the Curia apostolica (papal law courts) was installed there. Later it was home to the Governatorato di Roma (the city administration during the papal period) and the police headquarters. The excavated

obelisk An obelisk (; , diminutive of (') ' spit, nail, pointed pillar') is a tall, slender, tapered monument with four sides and a pyramidal or pyramidion top. Originally constructed by Ancient Egyptians and called ''tekhenu'', the Greeks used th ...

of the

Solarium Augusti The Solarium Augusti or Horologium Augusti (both Latin for "Sundial of Augustus"; ) was a monument in the Campus Martius of ancient Rome constructed in 10 BCE under the Roman emperor Augustus. It included an Egyptian obelisk that had first been e ...

, now known as the

Obelisk of Montecitorio The Obelisk of Montecitorio (), also known as Solare, is an ancient Egyptian, red granite obelisk of Psamtik II (595–589 BC) from Heliopolis. Brought to Rome with the Flaminio Obelisk in 10 BC by the Roman Emperor Augustus to be used as the ...

, was installed in front of the palace by

Pius VI Pope Pius VI (; born Count Angelo Onofrio Melchiorre Natale Giovanni Antonio called Giovanni Angelo or Giannangelo Braschi, 25 December 171729 August 1799) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 15 February 1775 to hi ...

in 1789. With the

Unification of Italy The unification of Italy ( ), also known as the Risorgimento (; ), was the 19th century Political movement, political and social movement that in 1861 ended in the Proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, annexation of List of historic states of ...

in 1861 and the transfer of the capital to Rome in 1870, Montecitorio was seized by the Italian government and chosen as the seat of the

, after consideration of various possibilities. The former internal courtyard was roofed over and converted into a semi-circular assembly room by Paolo Comotto. The Chamber was inaugurated on 21 November 1871. But the building proved wholly inadequate: the acoustics were terrible, it was very cold in winter and very hot in summer. As a result of extensive damage from water seepage, the palace was condemned in 1900. An attempt to build a new palace for the Chamber of Deputies on the Via Nazionale failed, and a provisional meeting hall was built on the Via della Missione. Only in 1918 was the Chamber definitively returned to the Palazzo Montecitorio. The return of the Chamber of Deputies to the palace followed extensive renovations, which left only the facade intact. The architect, Ernesto Basile, was an exponent of

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...

, known in Italy as

Liberty style Liberty style ( ) was the Italian variant of Art Nouveau, which flourished between about 1890 and 1914. It was also sometimes known as ("floral style"), ("new art"), or ("modern style" not to be confused with the Spanish variant of Art Nouveau ...

. He reduced the courtyard, demolished the wings and rear of the palace, constructing a new structure dominated by four red-brick and travertine towers at the corners. Basile also added the so-called Transatlantico, the long and impressive salon which surrounds the debating chamber and now acts as the informal centre of Italian politics. The debating chamber is characterized by numerous decorations in the

style: the impressive canopy of coloured glass (the work of Giovanni Beltrami), the pictorial frieze entitled ''The Italian People'' (by

Giulio Aristide Sartorio Giulio Aristide Sartorio (11 February 1860 – 3 October 1932) was an Italian painter and film director from Rome. Biography Having attended the Rome Institute of Fine Arts, Sartorio presented a Symbolist work at the 1883 International Expositi ...

) which surrounds the chamber, the bronze figures flanking the presidential and government benches, and the panels depicting ''The Glory of the Savoy Dynasty'' by

Davide Calandra Davide Calandra (21 October 1856 – 8 September 1915) was an Italian sculptor and cabinet maker. Biography Davide Calandra was born in Turin into a wealthy family. His father, besides his professional activities of lawyer and hydraulic enginee ...

Gallery

Image:Montecitorio Panini.jpg, ''Montecitorio Panini'' by

Giovanni Paolo Pannini Giovanni Paolo, also known as Gian Paolo Panini or Pannini (17 June 1691 – 21 October 1765), was an Italian Baroque painter and architect who worked in Rome and is primarily known as one of the '' vedutisti'' ("view painters"). As a painter, Pan ...

, c. 1747 Image:Obelisco di Montecitorio.jpg, Square with the obelisk Image:1461RomaMontecitorio.jpg, Front facade Image:Palais Montecitorio - Rome (IT62) - 2021-08-30 - 4.jpg, Rear facade Image:Montecitorio Aula.jpg, Debating chamber, designed by Ernesto Basile Image:Camera dei deputati Aula Palazzo Montecitorio Roma.jpg, Presidential inauguration of

Sergio Mattarella Sergio Mattarella (; born 23 July 1941) is an Italian politician and jurist who has served as the president of Italy since 2015. He is the longest-serving president in the history of the Italian Republic. Since Giorgio Napolitano's death in 20 ...

(2022)

External links

Virtual Tour

Very short history of the palacePanoramic virtual tour of the Palace & the sundial obelisk
{{Authority control Houses completed in 1697 Montecitorio Legislative buildings in Italy Gian Lorenzo Bernini buildings Seats of national legislatures Art Nouveau architecture in Italy Art Nouveau government buildings Rome R. III Colonna 1697 establishments in the Papal States 1697 establishments in Italy

History

See also

Gallery

External links