Piazza Mercanti
Encyclopedia
Piazza Mercanti is a central city square of Milan
, Italy
. It is located between Piazza del Duomo
, which marks the centre of the modern city of Milan, and Piazza Cordusio, and it used to be the heart of the city in the Middle Ages
. At the time, the square was larger than it is now, and known as "Piazza del Broletto", after the "Broletto Nuovo", the palace that occupied the centre of the square (now on the north side). In the 13th century, there were six entry points to the square, each associated to a specific trade, from sword blacksmiths to hat makers.
Until the late 19th century, Oh bej! Oh bej!
(the most important and traditional fair of Milan) was held in Piazza Mercanti.
At the centre of the square is a 16th century pit, surmounted by two 18th century columns.
origin and associated to the legend of the scrofa semilanuta
) and one representing Oldrado da Tresseno
, who ordered the construction of the palace itself.
Sculptor Giovan Pietro Lasagna has realized two statues of the square, that dedicated to Ausonius
(located on Porta Orefici, i.e., the "Jewellers' Portal", one of the entry points to the square) and that dedicated to Augustine of Hippo
(on the facade of the Scuole Palatine).
Another notable statue dedicated to Ambrose
, by sculptor Luigi Scorzini, is found on the facade of the Palazzo dei Giureconsulti.
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. It is located between Piazza del Duomo
Piazza del Duomo, Milan
Piazza del Duomo is the main piazza of Milan, Italy. It is named after, and dominated by, the Milan Cathedral . The piazza marks the center of the city, both in a geographic sense and because of its importance from an artistic, cultural, and social point of view...
, which marks the centre of the modern city of Milan, and Piazza Cordusio, and it used to be the heart of the city in the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
. At the time, the square was larger than it is now, and known as "Piazza del Broletto", after the "Broletto Nuovo", the palace that occupied the centre of the square (now on the north side). In the 13th century, there were six entry points to the square, each associated to a specific trade, from sword blacksmiths to hat makers.
Until the late 19th century, Oh bej! Oh bej!
Oh bej! Oh bej!
Oh bej! Oh bej! is the most important and traditional Christmas fair in Milan, Italy. It is held from 7 December until the following sunday...
(the most important and traditional fair of Milan) was held in Piazza Mercanti.
The palaces
The square houses five main buildings:- the "Broletto Nuovo", also known as Palazzo della RagionePalazzo della Ragione (Milan)The Palazzo della Ragione is a historic building of Milan, Italy, located in Piazza Mercanti, facing the Loggia degli Osii. It was built in 13th century and originally served as a broletto as well as a judicial seat...
, occupies the northern side. It was built in 1233, and served as the "brolettoBrolettoBroletto is an ancient Italian word, from medieval Latin "broilum, brogilum", which probably derives from a Celtic word. Its first meaning is "little orchard or garden"; hence the meaning "field surrounded by a wall"...
", i.e., the administrative headquarters of the city. - the GothicGothic architectureGothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
Casa PanigarolaCasa PanigarolaCasa Panigarola , also known as Palazzo dei Notai , is a historic building of Milan, Italy, located in Piazza Mercanti, former city centre in the Middle Ages. It is named after the House of Panigarola, a family of notaries from Gallarate, that owned the building until 1741...
, also known as "Palazzo dei Notai" (Notary's Palace), built in the 15th century, is on the western side; - the BaroqueBaroqueThe Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
Palazzo delle Scuole PalatinePalazzo delle Scuole PalatineThe Palace of the Palatine School is a historic building of Milan, Italy, located in Piazza Mercanti, the former city centre in the Middle Ages. It served as the seat of the most prestigious higher school of medieval Milan...
, built in the 17th century and designed by Carlo Buzzi, is on the southern side; it replaced a former building known as "Scuole del Broletto" ("Broletto Schools"); - also on the southern side is the Loggia degli OsiiLoggia degli OsiiThe Loggia degli Osii is a historical building of Milan, Italy. It is located in Piazza Mercanti, a central city square of Milan that used to be its centre in the Middle Ages.-History:...
, built in 1316 for Matteo I Visconti and designed by Scoto da San Gimignano; this was also an administrative seat, and included the parlera, i.e., the balcony from which the authorities addressed the population; - the eastern side is occupied by the Palazzo dei GiureconsultiPalazzo dei GiureconsultiThe Giureconsulti Palace , also known as Palazzo Affari ai Giureconsulti or simply Palazzo Affari, is a 16th century building of Milan, Italy. It is located in Piazza Mercanti, former city centre in the Middle Ages.The construction of the palace began in 1562 on a design by architect Vincenzo Seregni...
, built in 1561 on a design by Vincenzo Seregni; the tower of the building is much older, dating back to the 13th century (although it was largely restored in the 17th century).
At the centre of the square is a 16th century pit, surmounted by two 18th century columns.
Monuments
A number of statues and other monuments are found in Piazza Mercanti. Palazzo della Ragione has two renowned reliefs, one of a boar (that is reportedly of RomanAncient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
origin and associated to the legend of the scrofa semilanuta
Scrofa semilanuta
The scrofa semilanuta is an ancient emblem of the city of Milan, Italy, dating back at least to the Middle Ages — and, according to a local legend, to the very foundation of Milan...
) and one representing Oldrado da Tresseno
Oldrado da Tresseno
Oldrado da Tresseno was an Italian politician, podestà of Milan in the 13th century. He is responsible for restructuring Piazza dei Mercanti and ordering the construction of Palazzo della Ragione, a prominent historic building of Milan, which served as a broletto Oldrado da Tresseno (d. 1233)...
, who ordered the construction of the palace itself.
Sculptor Giovan Pietro Lasagna has realized two statues of the square, that dedicated to Ausonius
Ausonius
Decimius Magnus Ausonius was a Latin poet and rhetorician, born at Burdigala .-Biography:Decimius Magnus Ausonius was born in Bordeaux in ca. 310. His father was a noted physician of Greek ancestry and his mother was descended on both sides from long-established aristocratic Gallo-Roman families...
(located on Porta Orefici, i.e., the "Jewellers' Portal", one of the entry points to the square) and that dedicated to Augustine of Hippo
Augustine of Hippo
Augustine of Hippo , also known as Augustine, St. Augustine, St. Austin, St. Augoustinos, Blessed Augustine, or St. Augustine the Blessed, was Bishop of Hippo Regius . He was a Latin-speaking philosopher and theologian who lived in the Roman Africa Province...
(on the facade of the Scuole Palatine).
Another notable statue dedicated to Ambrose
Ambrose
Aurelius Ambrosius, better known in English as Saint Ambrose , was a bishop of Milan who became one of the most influential ecclesiastical figures of the 4th century. He was one of the four original doctors of the Church.-Political career:Ambrose was born into a Roman Christian family between about...
, by sculptor Luigi Scorzini, is found on the facade of the Palazzo dei Giureconsulti.