The
Quirinal Hill (Latin,
Collis Quirinalis) is one of the
Seven Hills of RomeThe Seven Hills of Rome east of the river Tiber form the geographical heart of Rome, within the walls of the ancient city.The seven hills are:* Aventine Hill * Caelian Hill * Capitoline Hill...
, at the north-east of the city center. It is the location of the official residence of the Italian Head of State, who resides in the
Quirinal PalaceThe Quirinal Palace is the current official residence of the President of the Italian Republic on the Quirinal Hill, the tallest of the seven hills of Rome....
; by
metonymyMetonymy is a figure of speech used in rhetoric in which a thing or concept is not called by its own name, but by the name of something intimately associated with that thing or concept. It comes from the , , "a change of name", from , , "after, beyond" and , , a suffix used to name figures of...
"the Quirinal" has come to stand for the state bureaucracy of modern Italy.
History
Originally it was part of a group of hills that included
Collis Latiaris,
Mucialis (or
Sanqualis),
Salutaris. These are now lost due to building in the 16th century and later.
According to Roman legend, the Quirinal Hill was the site of a small
villageA village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet, but smaller than a town or city. Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New York City and the Saifi Village in...
of the Sabines, and king
Titus TatiusThe traditions of ancient Rome held that Titus Tatius was the Sabine king of Cures, who, after the rape of the Sabine women, attacked Rome and captured the Capitol with the treachery of Tarpeia. The Sabine women, however, convinced Tatius and the Roman king, Romulus, to reconcile and subsequently...
would have lived there after the peace between Romans and Sabines. These Sabines had erected
altarAn altar is any structure upon which offerings such as sacrifices and votive offerings are made for religious purposes, or some other sacred place where ceremonies take place. Altars are usually found at a shrines, and they can be located in temples, churches and other places of worship...
s in the honour of their
godA deity is a postulated preternatural or supernatural immortal being, who may be thought of as holy, divine, or sacred, held in high regard, and respected by believers....
QuirinusIn Roman mythology, Quirinus was an early god of the Roman state. In Augustan Rome, Quirinus was also an epithet of Janus, as Janus Quirinus.-History:...
(naming the hill by this god).
Tombs have been discovered from the 8th century BC to the 7th century BC that confirm a likely presence of a Sabine settlement area; on the hill there was the tomb of Quirinus, that
Lucius Papirius CursorLucius Papirius Cursor was a Roman general, who was five times consul and twice dictator.In 325 BC he was appointed dictator to carry on the second Samnite War. His quarrel with Quintus Fabius Maximus Rullianus, his magister equitum, is well known...
transformed into a temple for his
triumphThe Roman triumph was a civil ceremony and religious rite of ancient Rome. Its origins and development remain obscure: ancient Roman historians placed the first triumph in the mythical past...
after the third
SamniteSamnium is a historical region of the south central Apennines in Italy, that was home to the Samnites, a group of Sabellic tribes that controlled the area from about 600 BC to about 290 BC. Samnium was delimited by Latium in the north, by Lucania in the south, by Campania in the west and by Apulia...
war. Some authors consider it possible that the cult of the
Capitoline TriadThe Capitoline Triad was a group of three supreme deities in Roman religion who were worshipped in an elaborate temple on Rome's Capitoline Hill, the Capitolium...
(Jove,
MinervaMinerva was the Roman goddess whom Hellenizing Romans from the second century BC onwards equated with the Greek goddess Athena. She was the virgin goddess of warriors, poetry, medicine, wisdom, commerce, weaving, crafts, magic and the inventor of music...
,
JunoJuno was an ancient Roman goddess, the protector and special counselor of the state. She is a daughter of Saturn and sister of the chief god Jupiter and the mother of Juventas, Mars, and Vulcan...
) could have been celebrated here well before it became associated with the
Capitoline HillThe Capitoline Hill , between the Forum and the Campus Martius, is one of the seven hills of Rome. By the 16th century, Capitolinus had become Campidoglio in Italian. The English word capitol derives from Capitoline...
. The sanctuary of Flora, an
OscoThe Osci were an Italic tribe of Southern Italy dwelling in Northern Campania and ultimately settling in the border region between Latium and Campania...
-sabine
goddessA goddess is a female deity. Often deities are part of a polytheistic system that includes several deities in a pantheon. In some cultures goddesses are commonly associated with the Earth, motherhood, love, and the household, often reflecting the historical gender roles of that culture...
, was here too.
In 446 BC, a
templeA temple is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer and sacrifice, or analogous rites. A templum constituted a sacred precinct as defined by a priest, or augur. It has the same root as the word "template," a plan in preparation of the building that was marked out...
was dedicated on the Quirinal in honour of
Semo Sancus Dius Fidius, and it is possible that this temple was erected over the ruins of another temple.
AugustusGaius Julius Caesar Augustus was the first emperor of the Roman Empire, which he ruled alone from 27 BC until his death in AD 14.
[These are the contemporary dates; Augustus lived under two calendars, the Roman Republican until 45 BC, and the Julian after 45 BC...]
, too, ordered the building of a temple, dedicated to Mars. On a slope of the Quirinal were the extensive
gardens of SallustThe Gardens of Sallust were Roman gardens developed by the Roman historian Sallust in the 1st century BC using his wealth extorted as governor of the province of Africa Nova...
.
On the Quirinal Hill Constantine ordered the erection of
his bathsBaths of Constantine was a public bathing complex built on the Quirinal Hill in Rome by Constantine I, probably before 315.-Construction and plan:...
, the last
thermaeThe terms balnea or thermae were the words the ancient Romans used for the buildings housing their public baths.Most Roman cities had at least one, if not many, such buildings, which were centers of public bathing and socialization. Baths were extremely important for Romans. They stayed there for...
complexerected in
imperial RomeThe Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean. The term is used to describe the Roman state during and after the time of the first emperor,...
. These are now lost, having been incorporated into Renaissance Rome, with only some drawings from the 16th century remaining.
In the
Middle AgesThe Middle Ages of European history is a period of European history covering roughly a millennium in the 5th century through 16th centuries. More specific starting and ending points are sometimes adopted by scholars to suit their respective specializations or current focus...
the
Torre delle MilizieThe Torre delle Milizie is a tower in Rome, Italy, annexed to the Trajan's Market in the Imperial fora.One of the main mediaeval monuments of the city, the tower is on a square plan, its base sides measure 10.5 x 9.5 m, and it currently stands at almost 50 meters...
and the
conventA convent is either a community of priests, religious brothers, religious sisters, or nuns, or the building used by the community, particularly in the Roman Catholic Church and in the Anglican Communion...
of St. Peter and Domenic were built, and above Constantine's building was erected the Palazzo Rospigliosi; the two famous colossal marble statues of the "
Horse TamersThe colossal pair of marble "Horse Tamers", often identified as Castor and Pollux, have stood since Antiquity near the site of the Baths of Constantine on the Quirinal Hill, Rome, too large to be buried or to be moved very far, though Napoleon's agents wanted to include them among the classical...
", generally identified as the Dioscuri with horses, which now are in the Piazza Quirinale, were originally in this Palazzo. They gave to the Quirinal its medieval name
Monte Cavallo which lingered into the nineteenth century, when the hill was transformed beyond all recognition by urbanization of an expanding capital of a united Italy. In the same palazzo were also the two statues of river gods that
MichelangeloMichelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni , commonly known as Michelangelo, was an Italian Renaissance painter, sculptor, architect, poet, and engineer...
moved to the steps of Palazzo Senatorio on the Capitoline Hill.
According to the political division of the center of
RomeRome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated municipality , with over 2.7 million residents in , while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat to be 3.46 million. The metropolitan area of Rome is estimated by OECD to have a population of 3.7 million...
, the Hill belongs to the
rioneA rione is an Italian term used since the Middle Ages to name the districts of central Rome, according to the political divisions of that time. It comes from the Latin regio A rione (pl. rioni) is an Italian term used since the Middle Ages to name the districts of central Rome, according to the...
TreviTrevi is the rione II of Rome. The origin of its name is not clear, yet,but the most accepted possibility is that it comes from the Latin trivium, because there were three streets all leading to "piazza dei Crociferi",...
.
Palazzo del Quirinale
The Quirinal Hill is today identified with the
Palazzo del QuirinaleThe Quirinal Palace is the current official residence of the President of the Italian Republic on the Quirinal Hill, the tallest of the seven hills of Rome....
, the official residence of the
President of the Italian Republic and one of the symbols of the State. Before the abolition of the Italian monarchy in 1946, it was the residence of the king of Italy, and before 1871 it was, as originally, a residence of the Pope.
The healthy cool air of the Quirinal Hill attracted aristocrats and papal families that built villas where the
gardens of SallustThe Gardens of Sallust were Roman gardens developed by the Roman historian Sallust in the 1st century BC using his wealth extorted as governor of the province of Africa Nova...
had been in antiquity. A visit to the villa of Cardinal
Luigi d'EsteThe House of Este is a European princely dynasty. It is split into two branches; the elder is known as the House of Welf-Este or House of Welf, the younger, as the House of Fulc-Este or later simply as the House of Este...
in 1573 convinced
Pope Gregory XIIIPope Gregory XIII , born Ugo Boncompagni, was Pope from 1572 to 1585.-Youth:He was born in the city of Bologna, where he studied law and graduated
in 1530...
to start the building of a summer residence the following year, in an area considered healthier than the
Vatican HillVatican Hill is the name given, long before the founding of Christianity, to one of the hills on the side of the Tiber opposite the traditional seven hills of Rome...
or
LateranLateran and Laterano are the shared names of several architectural projects throughout Rome. The properties were once owned by the Lateranus family of the former Roman Empire...
: his architects were
Flaminio PonzioFlaminio Ponzio was an Italian architect during the late-Renaissance or so-called Mannerist period, serving in Rome as the architect for Pope Paul V.Ponzio was born in Viggiù near Varese, and he died in Rome...
and
Ottaviano NonniOttaviano Nonni, called Il Mascherino was an Italian architect, sculptor, and painter born in Bologna and died in Rome. Apprentice of Giacomo Barozzi da Vignola, he was active in Emilia and in Rome, where he had been living in the rione of Borgo, in the road still bearing his name ....
, called Mascherino; under
Pope Sixtus VPope Sixtus V , born Felice Peretti di Montalto, was Pope from 1585 to 1590.-Biography:Felice Peretti was born at Grottammare, in the Papal States, son of Piergentile di Giacomo, nicknamed "Peretto", and Marianna da Frontillo. He took the surname "Peretti" in 1551 and was more generally known as...
works were continued by
Domenico Fontana240px|thumb|Fountain of Moses in Rome.Domenico Fontana was a Swiss-born Italian architect of the late Renaissance.He was born at Melide on the Lake Lugano and died at Naples. He went to Rome before the death of Michelangelo...
(the main facade on the Piazza) and
Carlo MadernoCarlo Maderno was an Italian-Swiss architect, born in Ticino, who is remembered as one of the fathers of Baroque architecture. His façades of Santa Susanna, St. Peter's Basilica and Sant'Andrea della Valle were of key importance in the evolution of the Italian Baroque...
, and by
Gian Lorenzo BerniniGian Lorenzo Bernini was an Italian artist who worked principally in Rome during the 17th century. He was the leading sculptor of his age and also a prominent architect...
for
Pope Clement XIIPope Clement XII , born Lorenzo Corsini, was Pope from July 12 1730 to 6 February 1740.Born in Florence, the son of Bartolomeo Corsini, Marquis of Casigliano and his wife Isabella Strozzi, sister of the Duke of Bagnuolo, Corsini had been an aristocratic lawyer and financial manager under preceding...
. Gardens were conceived by Maderno. In the 18th century,
Ferdinando FugaFerdinando Fuga was an Italian architect, whose main works were realized in Rome and Naples.-Biography:Born in Florence, he began to work in that city as a pupil of Giovanni Battista Foggini. In 1717 he moved to Rome, to continue his apprentice studies...
built the long wing called the Manica Lunga
, which stretched 360 meters along via del Quirinale. In front lies the sloping Piazza del Quirinale
where the pair of gigantic Roman marble "Horse Tamers" representing Castor and PolluxIn Greek and Roman mythology, Castor and Pollux were the twin sons of Lēda and Zeus/Tyndareus , the brothers of Helen of Troy and Clytemnestra and the half-brothers of Timandra, Phoebe, Heracles and Philonoe...
, found in the Baths of Constantine, were re-erected in 1588. In Piranesi's view the vast open space is unpaved. The Palazzo del Quirinale
was the residence of the popes until 1870, though Napoleon deported both Pius VI and Pius VII to France, and declared the Quirinale an imperial palace. When Rome was united to the Kingdom of ItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia...
, the Quirinale became the residence of the kings until 1946.
Today the Palazzo hosts the offices and the apartments of the Head of State, and in its long side along via XX Settembre
(the so-called Manica Lunga
), the apartments that were furnished for each visit of foreign monarchs or dignitaries.
Several collections are in this Palazzo, including tapestriesTapestry is a form of textile art, woven on a vertical loom. It is composed of two sets of interlaced threads, those running parallel to the length and those parallel to the width ; the warp threads are set up under tension on a loom, and the weft thread is passed back and forth across part or...
, paintingPainting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . In art, the term describes both the act and the result, which is called a painting. Paintings may have for their support such surfaces as walls, paper, canvas, wood, glass, lacquer, clay or concrete...
s, statueA statue is a sculpture in the round representing a person or persons, an animal, or an event, normally full-length, as opposed to a bust, and at least close to life-size, or larger...
s, old carriageA carriage is a wheeled vehicle for people, usually horse-drawn; litters and sedan chairs are excluded, these being litters or wheelless vehicles. The carriage is especially designed for private passenger use and for comfort or elegance, though some are also used to transport goods. It may be...
s (carrozze
), watches, furniture, andporcelainPorcelain is a ceramic material made by heating raw materials, generally including clay in the form of kaolin, in a kiln to temperatures between and...
.
In Piranesi's view, the palazzo on the right hand is the Palazzo della Sacra Consulta
, originally a villa built upon the ruins of the Baths of Constantine which was adapted by Sixtus V as a civil and criminal court. The present façade was built in 1732–1734 by the architect Ferdinando Fuga on the orders of Pope Clement XIIPope Clement XII , born Lorenzo Corsini, was Pope from July 12 1730 to 6 February 1740.Born in Florence, the son of Bartolomeo Corsini, Marquis of Casigliano and his wife Isabella Strozzi, sister of the Duke of Bagnuolo, Corsini had been an aristocratic lawyer and financial manager under preceding...
Corsini, whose coat-of-arms, trumpeted by two Fames, still surmounts the roofline balustrade, as in Piranesi's view. Formerly it housed Mussolini's ministry of colonial affairs.
Other monuments
The hill is the site of other important monuments:
- The church of Sant'Andrea al Quirinale
Sant'Andrea al Quirinale is the church of the Jesuit seminary on the Quirinal Hill in Rome.It was designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Giovanni de' Rossi over two decades . The site previously hosted a 16th century church, San Andrea a Montecavallo. The new building was commissioned by Pope...
was designed by Gian Lorenzo BerniniGian Lorenzo Bernini was an Italian artist who worked principally in Rome during the 17th century. He was the leading sculptor of his age and also a prominent architect...
(1658-1671), for Cardinal Camillo Pamphilij (nephew of Pope Innocent XPope Innocent X , born Giovanni Battista Pamphilj , was Pope from 1644 to 1655. Born in Rome of a family from Gubbio in Umbria who had come to Rome during the pontificate of Pope Innocent IX, he graduated from the Collegio Romano and followed a conventional cursus honorum, following his uncle...
),; it is one of the most elegant samples of baroqueBaroque is an artistic style prevalent from the late 16th century to the early 18th century. The popularity and success of the Baroque style was encouraged by the Roman Catholic Church, which had decided at the time of the Council of Trent that the arts should communicate religious themes in...
architecture in Rome, with its splendid interiors of marbles, stuccoes, and gilded decorations).
- The four fountains (Quattro Fontane) with reclining river gods (1588-93) and Borromini
Francesco Borromini, byname of Francesco Castelli was a Swiss Italian architect who, with his contemporaries, Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Pietro da Cortona, was a leading figure in the emergence of Roman Baroque architecture.A keen student of the architecture of Michelangelo and the ruins of...
's church of San Carlo alle Quattro FontaneThe Church of Saint Charles at the Four Fountains is a Roman Catholic church in Rome, designed by the architect Francesco Borromini and was his first independent commission...
(or San Carlino - originally Chiesa della Santissima Trinità e di San Carlo Borromeo), the first work of this architect as well as the last one: the façadeA facade or façade is generally one side of the exterior of a building, especially the front, but also sometimes the sides and rear. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
was completed after his death.
- Palazzo Volpi di Misurata, across from San Carlino, built in the eighteenth century.
- Palazzo Albani del Drago, built by Domenico Fontana
240px|thumb|Fountain of Moses in Rome.Domenico Fontana was a Swiss-born Italian architect of the late Renaissance.He was born at Melide on the Lake Lugano and died at Naples. He went to Rome before the death of Michelangelo...
and enlarged with an added belvedere, by Alessandro SpecchiAlessandro Specchi was an Italian architect and etcher.Born in Rome, he trained under Carlo Fontana, specializing also as etcher with a series of vedute of Rome.As an architect, he was influenced by Francesco Borromini...
for the AlbaniAlbani is the name of:* Painter Francesco Albani * Pope Clement XI born Giovanni Francesco Albani * Cardinal Alessandro Cardinal Albani * Cardinal Annibale Albani* Cardinal Gian Francesco Albani...
Pope Clement XIPope Clement XI , born Giovanni Francesco Albani, was Pope from 1700 until his death.-Early life:...
; with the decline in the fortunes of Alessandro Cardinal AlbaniAlessandro Albani was an Italian aristocrat and cardinal, and a collector and patron of the arts.-Biography:...
it was sold to the del Drago, who occupy it still.
- Palazzo Baracchini, built 1876-83, now housing the Ministry of Defense.
- The church of San Silvestro al Quirinale
San Silvestro al Quirinale is a historic church in central Rome, Italy.-History:The first mentions of a church on the site are from 1039, when it was called Santo Stefano in Cavallo in recognition of its site on Monte Cavallo, a small hill in the Campo Marzio.In 1507, the church was granted to the...
, which was described for the first time circa 1000, rebuilt in the 16th century and restructured (façade) in the 19th.
- Villa Colonna (17th century), in front of Palazzo Rospigliosi, contains some remains of Caracalla
Caracalla , born Lucius Septimius Bassianus and later called Marcus Aurelius Antoninus and Marcus Aurelius Severus Antoninus, was the eldest son of Septimius Severus and Roman Emperor from 211 to 217. He was one of the most nefarious of Roman emperors...
's temple of SerapisSerapis was a syncretic Hellenistic-Egyptian god in Antiquity. His most renowned temple was the Serapeum of Alexandria. Under Ptolemy Soter, efforts were made to integrate Egyptian religion with that of their Hellenic rulers...
- The Palazzo della Consulta
The Palazzo della Consulta is a late Baroque palace in central Rome, Italy, that now houses the Constitutional Court of the Italian Republic...
hosts today the Constitutional CourtThe Constitutional Court of Italy is a supreme court of Italy, the other being the Court of Cassation.The Constitutional Court is composed of 15 judges: one-third appointed by the President, one-third elected by Parliament, and one-third elected by the ordinary and administrative supreme courts...
, and was erected by Ferdinando FugaFerdinando Fuga was an Italian architect, whose main works were realized in Rome and Naples.-Biography:Born in Florence, he began to work in that city as a pupil of Giovanni Battista Foggini. In 1717 he moved to Rome, to continue his apprentice studies...
for Pope Clement XIIPope Clement XII , born Lorenzo Corsini, was Pope from July 12 1730 to 6 February 1740.Born in Florence, the son of Bartolomeo Corsini, Marquis of Casigliano and his wife Isabella Strozzi, sister of the Duke of Bagnuolo, Corsini had been an aristocratic lawyer and financial manager under preceding...
directly opposite Palazzo del Quirinale.
External links