| Palazzo Montecitorio | |
|---|---|
 Palazzo Montecitorio, seat of theItalian Chamber of Deputies | |
 Interactive map of Palazzo Montecitorio | |
| General information | |
| Location | Rome, Italy |
| Coordinates | 41°54′05″N12°28′43″E / 41.9014°N 12.4786°E /41.9014; 12.4786 |
| Client | CardinalLudovico Ludovisi |
| Design and construction | |
| Architects | Gian Lorenzo Bernini Carlo Fontana Ernesto Basile |
Palazzo Montecitorio (Italian pronunciation:[paˈlattsoˌmontetʃiˈtɔːrjo]) is a palace inRome and the seat of theChamber of Deputies, the lower house of theItalian Parliament.
The palace's name derives from the slight hill on which it is built, which was claimed to be theMons Citatorius, the hill created in the process of clearing theCampus Martius in Roman times.
The building was originally designed byGian Lorenzo Bernini for the young CardinalLudovico Ludovisi, nephew ofPope Gregory XV. However, with the death of Gregory XV by 1623, work stopped, and was not restarted until the papacy ofPope Innocent XII (Antonio Pignatelli), when it was completed by the architectCarlo Fontana, 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 firmanti-nepotism policies which were in contrast to his predecessors'.
In 1696 theCuria 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 excavatedobelisk of theSolarium Augusti, now known as theObelisk of Montecitorio, was installed in front of the palace byPius VI in 1789.
With theUnification of Italy 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 theChamber of Deputies, 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 theVia 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 ofArt Nouveau, known in Italy asLiberty style. 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 theArt Nouveau style: the impressive canopy of coloured glass (the work of Giovanni Beltrami), the pictorial frieze entitledThe Italian People (byGiulio Aristide Sartorio) which surrounds the chamber, the bronze figures flanking the presidential and government benches, and the panels depictingThe Glory of the Savoy Dynasty byDavide Calandra.
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