| Royal Palace of Turin | |
|---|---|
Palazzo Reale di Torino | |
 The façade (1646–1660). The top of the dome of theChapel of the Holy Shroud is visible on the left. | |
  Royal Palace of Turin Location within Turin | |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Baroque,Neoclassical |
| Location | Piazzetta Reale 1,Turin, Italy |
| Coordinates | 45°04′22″N7°41′10″E / 45.0727°N 7.686°E /45.0727; 7.686 |
| Groundbreaking | 1645 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architects | Ascanio Vittozzi,Carlo andAmedeo di Castellamonte,Filippo Juvarra,Benedetto Alfieri,Pelagio Palagi.[1][2] |
| Website | |
| Musei Reali Torino | |
UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
| Criteria | Cultural: i, ii, iv, v |
| Reference | 823 |
| Inscription | 1997 (21stSession) |
TheRoyal Palace of Turin (Italian:Palazzo Reale di Torino) is a historic palace of theHouse of Savoy in the city ofTurin inNorthern Italy. It was originally built in the 16th century and was later modernized byChristine Marie of France (1606–1663) in the 17th century, with designs by the Baroque architectFilippo Juvarra. The palace also includes thePalazzo Chiablese and theChapel of the Holy Shroud, the latter of which was built to house the famousShroud of Turin.
In 1946, the building became the property of the state and was turned into a museum. In 1997, it was placed on theUNESCO World Heritage Site list[3] along with 13 otherresidences of the House of Savoy.
Construction of the palace was ordered by theRegent Christine Marie in 1645.[4] She wanted a new residence for the court after her son returned from the civil war.
The chosen location was the previous Bishop's Palace, which had been built in the middle of the new capital ofSavoy,Turin, during the reign ofEmmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy (1528–1580). Its advantages included an open and sunny position, in addition to being close to other buildings where the court met.[5] The Duke was able to monitor the two entrances of the city (the Palatine and the Pretoria gates) from the Bishop's Palace. The Bishop's Palace in Turin was later captured by the French in 1536 and served as a residence of the FrenchViceroys of Savoy, who were appointed byFrancis I of France. Opposite the Bishop's Palace was thePalazzo Vecchio or thePalazzo di San Giovanni. This building, disparagingly known asPasta con Tonno (English: Pasta with tuna) because of its architecture, was later replaced by the grand Ducal Palace.[5]
Thus the old Bishop's Palace became the seat of power and was greatly expanded by Emmanuel Philibert to house his ever-growing collection of art, animals, marbles, and furniture. Emmanuel Philibert died in Turin in August 1580 and the Savoyard throne was handed down to his son,Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy (1562–1630). In celebration of the joint marriages of his daughtersPrincess Margaret andPrincess Isabella in 1608, Charles Emmanuel I commissioned the construction of a ring of porches topped off by an open gallery. His son, the futureVictor Amadeus I, Duke of Savoy (1587–1637), entered into a prestigious marriage when he married the French PrincessChristine Marie of France. Their marriage took place inParis at theLouvre Palace in 1619.
Victor Amadeus I succeeded to theDuchy of Savoy in 1630. He had previously spent his youth inMadrid at the court of his grandfather,Philip II of Spain. His wife set the tone for Victor Amadeus I's reign. Christine Marie had the court moved from the ducal palace in Turin to theCastello del Valentino, which at that time, was on the outskirts of the small capital. Many of Victor Amadeus I and Christine Marie's children were born at Valentino, includingFrancis Hyacinth, Duke of Savoy and his successorCharles Emmanuel II, Duke of Savoy. Christine Marie became the regent of Savoy after the death of her husband in 1637 on behalf of her two sons, who succeeded as dukes of Savoy.
From 1660 to 1663,Bartolomeo Caravoglia worked on the new decoration of the Royal Palace, where he produced some paintings for the Sala delle Principesse, based on an iconographic plan conceived byEmanuele Tesauro to celebrate the marriages of members of the House of Savoy to foreign consorts.
During the reign ofVictor Amadeus II, the Daniel gallery was created and named afterDaniel Seiter, who painted the lavish murals seen there. Victor Amadeus II also had a collection of summer apartments built to look onto the court and a winter apartment overlooking the gardens. His wife was the niece ofLouis XIV, bornAnne Marie d'Orléans.Louis XV'smother andaunt were born in the palace in 1685 and 1688, respectively.
TheChapel of the Holy Shroud, the current location of theShroud of Turin, was added to the structure in 1668–1694.
The Dukes of Savoy became theKings of Sicily in 1713, but they swapped it for theKingdom of Sardinia and ruled from 1720 after theTreaty of The Hague. Anne Marie d'Orléans died at the palace in 1728.
Victor Amadeus III marriedMaria Antonietta of Spain and the couple preferred to reside in the country in thePalazzina di caccia di Stupinigi. The Neoclassical style was introduced to the palace in the reign ofCharles Emmanuel III. The palace was overshadowed by the Stupinigi building later on, whenVictor Emmanuel II of Sardinia marriedMaria Adelaide of Austria. The palace once again saw some life with the redecoration of some of its rooms.
In 1946, the palace was claimed by the Italian Republic and turned into a "Museum of the Life and Works of the House of Savoy". Its rooms are decorated with richtapestries and a collection of Chinese and Japanese vases. TheRoyal Armoury houses an extensive array of arms, including examples from the 16th and 17th centuries.
The palace houses theScala delle Forbici, a staircase by Filippo Juvarra. The Chapel of the Holy Shroud, with its spiral dome, was built in the west wing of the palace, joining theapse (a semicircular recess) of theCathedral of St. John the Baptist, to house the famousShroud of Turin, which belonged to the family from 1453 until 1946. The royal gates of the palace have a golden Medusa symbol embossed on them, in order to fend off intruders.
Anna Caterina Gilli was active as a decorative painter at the palace.[6]
Residences of the RoyalHouse of Savoy | ||
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45°04′22″N7°41′10″E / 45.0727°N 7.686°E /45.0727; 7.686
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