Palazzo Wedekind
Encyclopedia
Palazzo Wedekind is a palazzo
in Piazza Colonna
in Rome
, Italy, located next to the church of Santi Bartolomeo ed Alessandro dei Bergamaschi
. It is notable as the historic offices of the daily paper Il Tempo.
On a site occupied in antiquity by the temple of Marcus Aurelius
, the medieval buildings on the site were cleared for a structure erected by the Ludovisi
(1659) that became the offices of the vicegerente of the vicariate of Rome. To house the general director of the postal service for the Papal States
, moved here in 1814, the palazzo was completely rebuilt by Pope Gregory XVI
to designs by Giuseppe Valadier
carried out by Pietro Camporese the Younger
. At Valadier's urging, Camporese added a portico built with twelve elegant Roman columns brought from the ruins of Veii
, supplemented with two pairs of columns flanking the main doorway, retrieved from the basilica of San Paolo fuori le Mura, which burned in 1823.
In 1852 it was bought by the rich banker Karl Wedekind, who rebuilt its interiors to plans by G.B. Giovenale. From 1871 the palazzo housed the Kingdom of Italy
's Ministry of Education. For a short time in September 1943 until the liberation of Rome, the palazzo was the official base of the Fascisti romani.
Palazzo
Palazzo, an Italian word meaning a large building , may refer to:-Buildings:*Palazzo, an Italian type of building**Palazzo style architecture, imitative of Italian palazzi...
in Piazza Colonna
Piazza Colonna
Piazza Colonna is a piazza at the center of the Rione of Colonna in the historic heart of Rome, Italy. It is named for the marble Column of Marcus Aurelius which has stood there since 193 CE. The bronze statue of Saint Paul that crowns the column was placed in 1589, by order of Pope Sixtus V...
in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, Italy, located next to the church of Santi Bartolomeo ed Alessandro dei Bergamaschi
Santi Bartolomeo ed Alessandro dei Bergamaschi
Santi Bartolomeo ed Alessandro dei Bergamaschi is a little church in Piazza Colonna in Rome, Italy, next to Palazzo Wedekind. Originally it was named Santa Maria della Pietà, from the high relief over the door...
. It is notable as the historic offices of the daily paper Il Tempo.
On a site occupied in antiquity by the temple of Marcus Aurelius
Temple of Marcus Aurelius
The Temple of Marcus Aurelius was a temple in Rome dedicated to the deified Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius by his son Commodus. The temple has no surviving archaeological remains, but was probably sited just to the west of the column of Marcus Aurelius, where now stands the Palazzo Wedekind on...
, the medieval buildings on the site were cleared for a structure erected by the Ludovisi
Ludovisi
Ludovisi can refer to:*Ludovisi , a noble Italian family*Ludovisi, Lazio, a rione in the City of Rome* Alberico Boncompagni Ludovisi, prince of Venosa and proprietor of Latium wine estate Fiorano...
(1659) that became the offices of the vicegerente of the vicariate of Rome. To house the general director of the postal service for the Papal States
Papal States
The Papal State, State of the Church, or Pontifical States were among the major historical states of Italy from roughly the 6th century until the Italian peninsula was unified in 1861 by the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia .The Papal States comprised territories under...
, moved here in 1814, the palazzo was completely rebuilt by Pope Gregory XVI
Pope Gregory XVI
Pope Gregory XVI , born Bartolomeo Alberto Cappellari, named Mauro as a member of the religious order of the Camaldolese, was Pope of the Catholic Church from 1831 to 1846...
to designs by Giuseppe Valadier
Giuseppe Valadier
Giuseppe Valadier was an Italian architect and designer, urban planner and archeologist, a chief exponent of Neoclassicism in Italy.-Biography:...
carried out by Pietro Camporese the Younger
Pietro Camporese the Younger
Pietro Camporese the Younger was an Italian neoclassical architect. He was the grandson of the architect Pietro Camporese the Elder. One of his major commissions was the Palazzo Wedekind in Rome....
. At Valadier's urging, Camporese added a portico built with twelve elegant Roman columns brought from the ruins of Veii
Veii
Veii was, in ancient times, an important Etrurian city NNW of Rome, Italy; its site lies in Isola Farnese, a village of Municipio XX, an administrative subdivision of the comune of Rome in the Province of Rome...
, supplemented with two pairs of columns flanking the main doorway, retrieved from the basilica of San Paolo fuori le Mura, which burned in 1823.
In 1852 it was bought by the rich banker Karl Wedekind, who rebuilt its interiors to plans by G.B. Giovenale. From 1871 the palazzo housed the Kingdom of Italy
Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946)
The Kingdom of Italy was a state forged in 1861 by the unification of Italy under the influence of the Kingdom of Sardinia, which was its legal predecessor state...
's Ministry of Education. For a short time in September 1943 until the liberation of Rome, the palazzo was the official base of the Fascisti romani.