Castello del Catajo
Encyclopedia
Castello del Catajo is a patrician house near the town of Battaglia Terme
, province of Padua
, Italy.
It had its origins in a simple villa that was rebuilt and extravagantly enlarged in the manner of a feudal castle from 1570 onwards by Marchese Pio Enea I degli Obizzi, a member of an important Italian family of French origin. The house contains a vast cycle of historical battle scenes frescoed in 1571–2 by Giambattista Zelotti (1525–1578) a pupil of Paolo Veronese
; he began with Roman times and culminated in the military triumphs of Pio Enea degli Obizzi, which were recreated in the gardens with tourneys and spectacles. His nephew Pio Enea II enlarged the complex with the grand entrance courtyard, announced by sculptures on high drum pedestals, which is dominated by the Baroque "Elephant" fountain.
In the 19th century the estate passed to Francis V, Duke of Modena
, who in turn left it to the Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria
. During the First World War the castle was inherited by Charles I of Austria, the last Emperor of Austro-Hungary, but it was sequestered as war reparations by the Italian State, which sold it in 1926 to the Dalla Francesca family, who currently open it to the public.
Battaglia Terme
Battaglia Terme is a town and comune in the Veneto region of Italy, in the province of Padua.Battaglia lies at the easternmost edge of the volcanic Euganean Hills, and has been noted for its warm saline springs and natural vapour grotto since the Middle Ages.-History:The construction of the...
, province of Padua
Province of Padua
The Province of Padua is a province in the Veneto region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Padua.-History and territory:...
, Italy.
Paolo Veronese
Paolo Veronese was an Italian painter of the Renaissance in Venice, famous for paintings such as The Wedding at Cana and The Feast in the House of Levi...
; he began with Roman times and culminated in the military triumphs of Pio Enea degli Obizzi, which were recreated in the gardens with tourneys and spectacles. His nephew Pio Enea II enlarged the complex with the grand entrance courtyard, announced by sculptures on high drum pedestals, which is dominated by the Baroque "Elephant" fountain.
In the 19th century the estate passed to Francis V, Duke of Modena
Francis V, Duke of Modena
Francesco Ferdinando Geminiano von Habsburg-Lothringen, known as Francis V of Modena , Archduke of Austria-Este, Royal Prince of Hungary and Bohemia, was Duke of Modena, Reggio, and Mirandola, Duke of Guastalla , Duke of Massa and Prince of Carrara from 1846 to 1859...
, who in turn left it to the Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria
Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria
Franz Ferdinand was an Archduke of Austria-Este, Austro-Hungarian and Royal Prince of Hungary and of Bohemia, and from 1889 until his death, heir presumptive to the Austro-Hungarian throne. His assassination in Sarajevo precipitated Austria-Hungary's declaration of war against Serbia...
. During the First World War the castle was inherited by Charles I of Austria, the last Emperor of Austro-Hungary, but it was sequestered as war reparations by the Italian State, which sold it in 1926 to the Dalla Francesca family, who currently open it to the public.