Capitol Square in Rome plan. Capitoline Hill in Rome: history, opening hours and location. Capitol Hill: the center of tourism

30s 16th century on behalf of Pope Paul III, Michelangelo begins designing the Capitol Square (at the top of the Capitoline Hill) in Rome.

The design and construction of the square began with the installation of an equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius in its center.

The square as a kind of "creative laboratory" of Michelangelo during the construction of St. Peter's Cathedral.

Innovations from Michelangelo:

1. Clear symmetry of the city square,

2. Not continuous, but open building along the perimeter,

3. New interpretation of the monument as an independent element of the square.

4. The monument as a module of the order system of surrounding buildings.

Entrance is via a staircase-ramp cut into the hill. The outline of the space is formed by the identical buildings of the Capitoline Museum and the Conservatory Palace, forming a symmetrical trapezoidal plan. In the center is the Palace of the Senators. The square is open from the entrance to the city, bounded by a parapet on which antique statues are installed.

On a small scale (80 m deep, 40 to 60 m wide), the area looks monumental.

From the point of view of the history of architecture, the Renaissance is being replaced by the Baroque.

Baroque features in the layout of the square:

– allegorical meaning of sculptures, special paving (Capitol as the center of ancient Rome and the Roman Empire);

- The perception of the area is not axial, but as you move in a circle (ellipse);

– Optical effects (apparent parallelism of the buildings; an ellipse of paving, shrinking into a circle; the appearance of a statue of Marcus Aurelius when climbing stairs, etc.).

1 - the palace of Senators; 2 - Capitol Museum; 3 – Conservatory Palace (Museum of Rarities); in the center of the square is the equestrian monument of Marcus Aurelius.

14. Piazza del Popolo and its architectural and planning composition.

The square adjoined the northern gates of the city, i.e. to the main entrance to the city from Europe.

Until the 15th century, it was poorly built up, it was a kind of "transit point" at the entrance to the city.

16th century Domenico Fontana, in the course of planning work, places an obelisk in the center of the trapezoidal square. The laying of a three-beam system of highways begins from the square.

Second half of the 17th century on the opposite side of the entrance to the square, two churches are being built - Santa Maria di Monte Santo and Santa Maria dei Miracoli (C. Rainaldi and C. Fontana). Closed the space of the square.

At the beginning of the XIX century. the area acquired an oval shape.

Street opening is small approx. 23 deg. (about 45 in total), which, however, allows you to see all three perspectives in one picture plane.

(in Versailles - the disclosure is more - at the limit of perception, in St. Petersburg even more - it is impossible to see all three streets at the same time).

1 - gate del Popolo;

2 - obelisk;

3 - Church of Santa Maria di Monte Santo;

4 - Church of Santa Maria di Miracoli.

15. Square of St. Peter in Rome.

The construction of the square began in the 17th century. under the direction of Lorenzo Bernini, lasted approx. 10 years (1657-1667). (The last large-scale building of the Renaissance and Baroque period in Rome).

The dimensions of the axes of the oval are 200 and 130 m. The depth of the trapezium adjoining the cathedral is 125 m.

In Bernini's initial sketches, there are variants of a square and a round (more closed, non-baroque) square.

At one time, the place of the square was marked by an Egyptian obelisk (it was placed by Domenico Fontana 70 years before the design of the square).

Features of the square (can be attributed to the type of "baroque square")

1. open loop,

2. perception is not frontal, but when moving in a circle,

3. allegorical (scale oval as a symbol of the Colosseum)

4. optical effects (changing the proportions of the fountains flanking the central obelisk, the illusion of an “embracing” space of the galleries).

p.s. (not necessary)

Some of Bernini's contemporaries considered the square unfinished.

So, at the end of the 17th century. Carlo Fontana (not to be confused with Domenico) criticized Bernini's project, suggesting adding a trapezoidal gallery ending with a bell tower to the square. Behind the bell tower, a foreground was added towards the Tiber, with an opening angle corresponding to the angle of view under which the cathedral is visible.

In this case, according to Fontana, the depth necessary for a holistic perception of the cathedral was added to the square.

If the project had been carried out in Rome, a powerful axial composition would have appeared.

On our first trip to Italy, we diligently visited all the museums and attractions according to the guidebook. Noted in the Capitol Museum. In general, I don’t really like antique sculptures, but it was still interesting, I especially wanted to see the original Capitoline she-wolf. The museum also has a separate Pinakothek with paintings by Rubens, Titian, Caravaggio.

Two staircases lead to Capitol Square. Steep marble steps - there are one hundred and twenty-four, leading to the church of Santa Maria in Araceli, were built in the XIV century as an attempt to appease the Virgin Mary during the Black Death epidemic. They were brought from the Quirinal Hill and once led to the Temple of the Sun. Before the Renaissance, these were the only steps leading to the Capitol. If you climb them, it is immediately clear that they were designed for strong Roman calves. Climbing the stairs leading to the church of Santa Maria in Araceli is harder than hundreds of small Renaissance steps. When the architects created the square on the Capitol, they faced the problem of making a rise that would be worthy of the ancient span that already existed and at the same time would not compete with it. So, they did not make a flight of stairs, but something like a gentle ramp, it starts next to the more ancient steps, has a slight slope and easily and gracefully leads to the top. There is something in this from the politeness of a young man who lets the elders go first.

The first thing you will see on the square is Marcus Aurelius sitting on a horse, behind him stands the Palace of Senators. To the emperor's left is the Capitoline Museum and to the right is the Conservative Palace; both buildings contain the finest treasures of Ancient Rome.

A couple of quotes from Marcus Aurelius:
"This is the way to perfection - to live each new day as if it were the last, without falling into a fever or hibernation and without trying to play a role."
“If someone harms you, immediately try to look at everything from his point of view, regardless of whether it is good or bad. As soon as you understand him, you will feel sorry for him, you will no longer be surprised at his act, nor angry with him.
"Whatever anyone says or does, it is my duty to be kind."
Ironically, he owes the preservation of his bronze equestrian statue in a street in Rome to a magnificent early Christian error: he was confused with Constantine the Great.

This perfect piazza was conceived by Michelangelo, although completed by his followers. It was he who carried Marcus Aurelius from the Lateran, where he stood for five hundred years, and placed him on a pedestal made from a column of the temple of Castor and Pollux; and here he is riding a horse, the prototype of all bronze riders who since that time spur their horses in the streets and squares of the world.

After admiring the square, we go to the museum. Museums are housed in three palaces Let's start with the New Palace.

Venus Capitoline (left). Someone, wanting to save "Venus" from the Christians and fearing that she would be sent to the fire, like a pagan goddess, carefully immured her in a hiding place, where she spent the entire Renaissance, coming out into the world completely intact in the 18th century. This is one of the most beautiful statues of Venus, although it is obvious that in ancient Rome they did not appreciate a thin waist - this is an achievement of the Middle Ages with their corsets.

Making marble and bronze emperors must have been a profitable business in Rome. The faces of emperors were sent by the state to the cities and towns of the Empire, just as photographs of a reigning monarch are now sent to British embassies. They probably expected loyalty, even from the inhabitants of remote places.

The Capitoline Wolf is a bronze sculpture dating from the 5th century BC. and has been kept in Rome since antiquity. Depicts a she-wolf nursing two babies - Romulus and Remus, the legendary founders of the city. In 2006, Anna Maria Carruba, a metallurgy specialist who restored the Capitoline she-wolf, published her conclusions: in her opinion, the sculpture of the she-wolf (not babies) could not have been made before the 8th-10th centuries. The fact is that in antiquity they did not know how to cast large statues as a whole: they were made in parts, and then welded. The she-wolf was made immediately and entirely. Metal studies published in the Italian newspaper La Repubblica point to the 13th century as the most likely date for the statue's appearance.
At the same time, the authorship of the sculptures of the babies Romulus and Remus, obviously made in a different manner, was documented. They were added to the sculpture by Antonio del Pollaiolo in the 15th century.

Statue of Marcus Aurelius

Medusa Bernini

Centaurs Furietti

Museum ceilings

In general, the museum is not very large, it is enough to spend about 2-3 hours there

When writing the report, information was used, including from Henry Morton's book "Walks in Rome".

A more complete version of the story

(Italian: Piazza del Campidoglio) - an architectural ensemble on the Capitoline Hill, one of the seven hills on which Rome arose. The square is interesting for the Cordonata stairs, a replica of the equestrian statue of Emperor Marcus Aurelius and three magnificent palaces that display the expositions of the Capitoline Museum.

Historical documents say that in 1536, during a solemn procession organized in honor of the visit of Charles V, Pope Paul III simply felt ashamed of the state in which the once majestic Capitol Hill was. During the times of Ancient Rome, meetings of the Senate and popular assemblies were held here, the Temple of Jupiter was located, as well as a number of important religious and secular buildings. After the fall of the Roman Empire (5th century AD), part of the Capitoline Hill fell into such disrepair that it was called "Goat" (the place was used for walking goats). In fairness, it should be noted that the future territory of the Capitoline Square looked better than the entire hill as a whole, since there were the ruins of Tabularia, the dilapidated Palace of the Senators of the X century and the relatively modern Palazzo Conservatori of the XV century.

In the same 1536 (after the visit of Charles V), Michelangelo Buonarroti was entrusted with embodying the desire of Paul III to create a new look for the square. One of the best masters of the Renaissance drew up a detailed plan for the reconstruction of existing buildings, created a project for the construction of the Palazzo Nuovo and developed the design of the renovated Capitoline Square.

Work progressed extremely slowly, and at the time of Michelangelo's death in 1564, not even half of what had been planned had been completed. His student Giacomo Della Porta continued the work, and then Giacomo's student Girolamo Rainaldi, together with his son Carl Rainaldi. Finally, the Capitoline Square was ready only in 1654, when the construction of the Palazzo Nuovo was completed.

According to the plan of Michelangelo Buonarroti, the square took on a trapezoidal shape, bounded on three sides by palace buildings. The centerpiece was given to the Palace of the Senators. Columns with a length of two tiers are installed around the entire perimeter of the facade of the palace. The ground floor is decorated with pilasters, between which there are two architraves. The bell tower towering above the building became the central vertical axis of the entire Capitoline Square. The bell tower is crowned with the figure of Minerva, goddess of wisdom. Another statue of her is located at the stairs - the sculpture "Joying Rome", depicts Minerva holding a ball, a symbol of the dominance of Rome. On both sides of the stairs are statues that symbolize the great rivers Nile and Tiber.

Sights of the Capitoline Square

On the right side, the square is framed by the Palazzo Conservatori, and on the left - Palazzo Nuovo, which was designed as a mirror projection of the Palazzo Conservatori. They are united by open galleries of the first floor and powerful pilasters of the upper level. Balustrades with copies of antique marble statues are installed along the perimeter of the roof.

The Palazzo Conservatori and Palazzo Nuovo are placed at oblique angles to the dominant Palace of the Senators. This technique made it possible to visually correct the size of the area, expanding the space perceived by the rectangle. Decorative petals of a dynamic pattern in the form of an oval, inscribed in a rectangle and in perspective, when reduced, give the impression of a circle.

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In 1734 in the history of the Capitoline Square, an important event took place. The Palazzo Conservatori, Palazzo Nuovo, Palazzo Senatori, as well as the nearby Palazzo Cafarelli Clementino, were chosen as exhibition halls for the Capitoline Museum created by Pope Clement XII, the first public museum in Rome.

In the center of the square, fixing the entire composition of the Capitoline ensemble, there is an oval-shaped pedestal, a replica of the equestrian sculpture of Emperor Marcus Aurelius. The original is in a separate room of the Palazzo Conservatori. Another major attraction of the square is the magnificent Cordonata staircase, also designed by the great Michelangelo Buonarroti. Parallel to it is the older Araceli staircase (built in 1348 in gratitude for the deliverance of Rome from the plague. According to another version, it was built for the anniversary of Rome in 1350. It has 124 marble steps).

Currently, the Capitoline Square is one of the most harmonious and integral Roman squares. By designing it, Michelangelo demonstrated an unusually deep insight into the optical laws of human perception.

- group tour (up to 10 people) for the first acquaintance with the city and the main attractions - 3 hours, 31 euros

- immerse yourself in the history of Ancient Rome and visit the main monuments of antiquity: the Colosseum, the Roman Forum and the Palatine Hill - 3 hours, 38 euros

- the history of Roman cuisine, oysters, truffle, pate and cheese during a tour for real gourmets - 5 hours, 45 euros

On the smallest among the seven Roman hills is Capitoline Square - a symbol of power and greatness.

History of occurrence

In the 1530s, Michelangelo was actively creating architectural projects, even building some structures in Rome on their basis. The buildings within Capitol Hill are considered the most significant. Some buildings did not have time to be reconstructed during his lifetime, but thanks to this master, the Capitoline Square received a trapezoidal shape. It was he who contributed to the creation of its harmonious appearance by creating plans for the restoration and restructuring of adjacent palaces and other architectural objects. On the wide staircase he created, you can go down to a residential city block. It is decorated with ancient Egyptian marble lions. Other statues were added in 1583, after the excavation of Pompey's theater. There are many sculptures and ancient inscriptions in the Capitoline Square. All of them symbolize the strength and greatness of ancient Rome. Sculptures-allegories of rivers have been decorating the square since 1549.

Architecture

Capitoline Square - the first of the squares of Rome, was created on the basis of the plan. The beautiful symmetrical ensemble was designed by Michelangelo in 1536. Actually, the square has retained the appearance he created. Three buildings are located on its sides: the Palace of the Conservatives, the New Palace and the Palace of the Senators. An equestrian statue with a large silhouette stands out in the middle of the square. This sculpture, striking in its calmness, belongs to Marcus Aurelius. Initially, its location was the slope of the Capitol near the Roman forum, but in the twelfth century it was decorated with the Lateran Square. In 1538, Pope Paul III ordered to transfer it to the Capitol. This statue survived both during the barbarian raids and during the Middle Ages, it was not destroyed by ardent adherents of Christianity, for whom all the sculptures were like idols. She probably survived into the Middle Ages only because many mistook her for Constantine the Great, who was the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity. We are unlikely to be mistaken in asserting that the statue of Marcus Aurelius became a model for similar sculptural creations of the subsequent time, among which there is a monument to Peter the Great (Mikhailovsky Castle) - the work of Rastrelli.

Neighborhood.

Not far from the Capitoline Square, you can stay in a small cozy hotel Argentina, where there are only seven rooms, but they are equipped with air conditioning, a TV and a minibar. Close to this place is Venice Square with the castle of the same name.

Note to the tourist

Among the most famous Roman squares, you will certainly find mention of the Capitoline. It has been a landmark for the population of Rome since ancient times. People's meetings were held there, imperial decrees were announced, and various ceremonies were held. Once in this place: a market functioned between two hills. It was here that Emperor Augustus heard from the lips of the Sibyl the prediction of the birth of Christ.

Name: Piazza del Campidoglio (it), Piazza del Campidoglio in Rome (en)

Other names: Capitol in Rome / Capitoline Square / Piazza del Campiodolio

Location: Rome, Italy)

Creation: from 1538

Style: Baroque

Architect(s): Michelangelo Buonarroti

Architecture of the Capitol

Source:
I.A. Bartenev "Architects of the Italian Renaissance"
1936; Publishing house: OGIZ

In 1546, the seventy-year-old Michelangelo begins to rebuild the Roman Capitol, which fell into disrepair and partially collapsed during the Middle Ages. It was necessary to architecturally design it, and, as Vasari says, "to give a look appropriate to its purpose." Michelangelo's plan for the Capitol was fully realized after the death of the architect.

The Roman Capitol is of particular interest, as it is the only architectural work with a predominantly open spatial organization. The construction is characterized by an accentuated central composition, clarity and consistency in the overall architectural and planning design. In this case, the so-called Palazzo Senatori serves as the center of the ensemble, for which the architect designed a travertine facade. A double-sided staircase leads to the platform adjacent to the building, which, together with the turret located on the building, further emphasizes the central axis of the composition. On the left and right, two identical facades were built on the opening square - or rather, the existing Palazzo Conservatori was clad with a new facade, and symmetrically to it, on the other side of the square, the artist conceived exactly the same palazzo (The Palazzo Nuovo (Capitoline Museum) located opposite the Palazzo Conservatori was built by Girolamo Rainaldi under the Pope Innocent X (1644-1655).Earlier, in 1598, Rainaldi renovated the Palazzo Senatori with some deviations from the design of Michelangelo.Martin Lungi in 1579 rebuilt the old tower). Both buildings have balconies on the first floor. To enter the site is a wide sloping staircase.

An antique bronze equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius is placed in the center of the square, large equestrian statues are placed on both sides of the central staircase. The stairs of the Senatori Palace are decorated with sculptures based on mythological subjects.

When comparing the Palazzo Conservatori with earlier works by Michelangelo (for example, with the facade of the church of San Lorenzo), a sharp shift towards monumentality is noticeable. In San Lorenzo, the proportions are light, graceful. The basis of the architectural technique is the desire to convey movement. All elements are directed upwards, and balance is achieved by their tension. In the Palazzo Conservatori, under the weight of the upper floor, thin columns seem to be pressed against the wide pilasters that run along the entire height of the building. The massiveness of the entablature, burdened with a balustrade, fetters the pilasters, as if preventing them from slipping upwards. The pilasters are sufficiently loaded. But in decorative motifs, the master gives complete freedom to soft rounded shapes. The arcuate pediments above the windows have reached their maximum development, and the unusually convex relief is further enhanced by shadows. From the same point of view, the Ionic capitals used in the Conservatory Palace attract attention. The capitals are exaggerated, their volutes are strongly bent, their forms are soft and juicy.

Sources:

• General History of Architecture, Volume 5 Western European Architecture of the 15th-16th Centuries Renaissance 1967, Moscow
• A.E. Brinkman "Square and Monument as a problem of art form" - Publishing House of the All-Union Academy of Architecture, Moscow, 1935