Royal Palace of Turin
Encyclopedia
Royal Palace of Turin or Palazzo Reale, is a palace in Turin
, northern Italy
. It was the royal palace of the House of Savoy
. It was modernised greatly by the French born Madama Reale Christine Marie of France
(1606-1663) in the seventeenth century. The palace was worked on by Filippo Juvarra
. It includes the Palazzo Chiablese
.
(1528-1580), the site was once part of an old Bishop
s palace in the center of the new capital of Savoy, Turin
. From this palace, the Duke was able to monitor the two entrances of the city - the Palatine and Pretoria gates. The old palace in Turin was thus abandoned and had previously been the residence of the French Viceroy
s of Savoy
who were appointed by Francis I of France
having captured Savoy 1536. Opposite the bishops palace was the Palazzo Vecchio or the Palazzo di San Giovanni. These would later be swallowed up by the grander Ducal Palace.
The old Bishops Palace thus became the seat of power and was greatly expanded by Emmanuel Philibert in order to house his ever expanding collections of art, animals, marbles and furniture. Emmanuel Philibert died in Turin in August 1580 and the Savoyard throne was handed on to his son who was known as Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy
(1562-1630). In celebration of the joint marriages of his daughters Princess Margaret
and Princess Isabella
in 1608, Charles Emmanuel I commissioned the construction of a ring of porches which was topped off by an open gallery. His son the future Victor Amadeus I, Duke of Savoy
(1587-1637) made a very prestigious marriage with the French Princess Christine Marie of France
; their marriage occurred in Paris
at the Louvre
in 1619.
Victor Amadeus I succeeded to the Duchy of Savoy
in 1630. He had spent his youth in Madrid
at the court of his grand father Philip II of Spain
. It was his wife who set the mood for her husband reign; she had the court moved from the ducal palace in Turin to the Castello del Valentino
which in that time was on the outskirts of the small capital.
Many of Victor Amadeus I and Christine Marie were born at Valentino including Francis Hyacinth, Duke of Savoy
and his successor Charles Emmanuel II, Duke of Savoy
. Christine Marie was regent of Savoy after the death of her husband in 1637; she was the regent of her two sons who succeeded as Duke of Savoy.
Francis Hyacinth of Savoy (1632-1638) died aged 6 and was succeeded by his brother Charles Emmanuel II, (1634-1675). After the Savoyard regency, the Dowager Duchess moved into the Palazzo Madama, Turin
where she died in 1663. Charles Emmanuel II married twice; his first wife was his first cousin Françoise Madeleine d'Orléans
; they married in March 1663 just before Christine Marie's death; Françoise Madeleine died without issue but left a suite of rooms in the palace that had been decorated especially for her before her death in 1664. The new duchess was another Marie Jeanne of Savoy. She mothered the next Duke Victor Amadeus II, Duke of Savoy
- she was also regent of Savoy from 1675 to 1684.
Marie Jeanne of Savoy later moved into the Palazzo Madama where she died in 1724.
During reign of Victor Amadeus II the Daniel gallery was created, named after Daniel Seiter
who painted the lavish murals. Victor Amadeus II also had a collection of summer apartments built in order to look onto the court and a winter apartment overlooking the gardens. His wife was the niece of Louis XIV
, born Anne Marie d'Orléans. The mother and aunt
of Louis XV
were born in the palace in 1685 and 1688 respectively.
The Chapel of the Holy Shroud, the current resting place of the Shroud of Turin
, was added to the structure in 1668-1694.
The Dukes of Savoy became the Kings of Sicily in 1713, but that was swapped with the Kingdom of Sardinia which they ruled from 1720 after the Treaty of The Hague
. Anne Marie d'Orléans died at the Palace in 1728.
Victor Amadeus III married Maria Antonietta of Spain
but they preferred to use the Palazzina di caccia di Stupinigi in the country. The Neoclassical style was introduced to the palace in the Charles Emmanuel III. The palace was overshadowed by the Stupinigi building later on; when the Victor Emmanuel II of Sardinia
married Maria Adelaide of Austria
, the palace once again saw some life with the redecoration of some rooms. In 1946, the palace was claimed by the Italian Republic and turned into a "Museum of the life and works of the House of Savoy".
Its rooms are decorated with rich tapestries and a collection of Chinese and Japanese vases. The Royal Armory houses an extensive array of arms, including examples from the 16th and 17th centuries.
The Scala delle Forbici is a staircase by Filippo Juvarra.
The Chapel of the Holy Shroud, with its spiral dome, was built in the west wing of the palace, joining the apse of the cathedral of St. John the Baptist
, to house the famous Shroud of Turin
which belonged to the family from 1453 until 1946.
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
, northern 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 was the royal palace of the House of Savoy
House of Savoy
The House of Savoy was formed in the early 11th century in the historical Savoy region. Through gradual expansion, it grew from ruling a small county in that region to eventually rule the Kingdom of Italy from 1861 until the end of World War II, king of Croatia and King of Armenia...
. It was modernised greatly by the French born Madama Reale Christine Marie of France
Christine Marie of France
Christine of France was the sister of Louis XIII and the Duchess of Savoy by marriage. At the death of her husband Victor Amadeus I in 1637, she acted as regent of Savoy between 1637 and 1648....
(1606-1663) in the seventeenth century. The palace was worked on by Filippo Juvarra
Filippo Juvarra
Filippo Juvarra was an Italian architect and stage set designer.-Biography:Filippo Juvarra was an Italian Baroque architect working in the early part of the eighteenth century. He was born in Messina, Sicily, to a family of goldsmiths and engravers...
. It includes the Palazzo Chiablese
Palazzo Chiablese
The Palazzo Chiablese is a building which is part of the Royal Palace of Turin, northern Italy. It was the successive home of the Duke of Chablais and then Carlo Felice, king of Sardinia and Ferdinando the Duke of Genoa. It is today the home of a cultural collection which honouring the history...
.
History
In the reign of Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of SavoyEmmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy
Emmanuel Philibert was Duke of Savoy from 1553 to 1580....
(1528-1580), the site was once part of an old Bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
s palace in the center of the new capital of Savoy, Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
. From this palace, the Duke was able to monitor the two entrances of the city - the Palatine and Pretoria gates. The old palace in Turin was thus abandoned and had previously been the residence of the French Viceroy
Viceroy
A viceroy is a royal official who runs a country, colony, or province in the name of and as representative of the monarch. The term derives from the Latin prefix vice-, meaning "in the place of" and the French word roi, meaning king. A viceroy's province or larger territory is called a viceroyalty...
s of Savoy
Savoy
Savoy is a region of France. It comprises roughly the territory of the Western Alps situated between Lake Geneva in the north and Monaco and the Mediterranean coast in the south....
who were appointed by Francis I of France
Francis I of France
Francis I was King of France from 1515 until his death. During his reign, huge cultural changes took place in France and he has been called France's original Renaissance monarch...
having captured Savoy 1536. Opposite the bishops palace was the Palazzo Vecchio or the Palazzo di San Giovanni. These would later be swallowed up by the grander Ducal Palace.
The old Bishops Palace thus became the seat of power and was greatly expanded by Emmanuel Philibert in order to house his ever expanding collections of art, animals, marbles and furniture. Emmanuel Philibert died in Turin in August 1580 and the Savoyard throne was handed on to his son who was known as Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy
Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy
Charles Emmanuel I , known as the Great, was the Duke of Savoy from 1580 to 1630...
(1562-1630). In celebration of the joint marriages of his daughters Princess Margaret
Margarida of Savoy, Vicereine of Portugal
Margaret of Savoy, Duchess Consort of Mantua and Montferrat was best known as the last Spanish Vicereine of Portugal...
and Princess Isabella
Isabella of Savoy
Isabella of Savoy was a daughter of Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy and Catherine Michelle of Spain. Her maternal grandparents where Philip II of Spain and Elisabeth of Valois, her paternal grandparents where Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy and Margaret of France, Duchess of Berry...
in 1608, Charles Emmanuel I commissioned the construction of a ring of porches which was topped off by an open gallery. His son the future Victor Amadeus I, Duke of Savoy
Victor Amadeus I, Duke of Savoy
Victor Amadeus I was the Duke of Savoy from 1630 to 1637. He was also titular King of Cyprus and Jerusalem. He was also known as the Lion of Susa-Biography:...
(1587-1637) made a very prestigious marriage with the French Princess Christine Marie of France
Christine Marie of France
Christine of France was the sister of Louis XIII and the Duchess of Savoy by marriage. At the death of her husband Victor Amadeus I in 1637, she acted as regent of Savoy between 1637 and 1648....
; their marriage occurred in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
at the Louvre
Louvre
The Musée du Louvre – in English, the Louvre Museum or simply the Louvre – is one of the world's largest museums, the most visited art museum in the world and a historic monument. A central landmark of Paris, it is located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the 1st arrondissement...
in 1619.
Victor Amadeus I succeeded to the Duchy of Savoy
Duchy of Savoy
From 1416 to 1847, the House of Savoy ruled the eponymous Duchy of Savoy . The Duchy was a state in the northern part of the Italian Peninsula, with some territories that are now in France. It was a continuation of the County of Savoy...
in 1630. He had spent his youth in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
at the court of his grand father Philip II of Spain
Philip II of Spain
Philip II was King of Spain, Portugal, Naples, Sicily, and, while married to Mary I, King of England and Ireland. He was lord of the Seventeen Provinces from 1556 until 1581, holding various titles for the individual territories such as duke or count....
. It was his wife who set the mood for her husband reign; she had the court moved from the ducal palace in Turin to the Castello del Valentino
Castello del Valentino
The Castle of Valentino is an historic building in the north-west Italian city of Turin. It is located in Valentino Park, and is the seat of the Architecture Faculty of the Polytechnic University of Turin...
which in that time was on the outskirts of the small capital.
Many of Victor Amadeus I and Christine Marie were born at Valentino including Francis Hyacinth, Duke of Savoy
Francis Hyacinth, Duke of Savoy
Francis Hyacinth was the Duke of Savoy from 1637 to 1638 under regency of his mother Marie Christine.-Biography:...
and his successor Charles Emmanuel II, Duke of Savoy
Charles Emmanuel II, Duke of Savoy
Charles Emmanuel II was the Duke of Savoy from 1638 to 1675 and under regency of his mother Christine Marie of France until 1663. He was also Marquis of Saluzzo, Count of Aosta, Geneva, Moriana and Nice, as well as claimant king of Cyprus and Jerusalem...
. Christine Marie was regent of Savoy after the death of her husband in 1637; she was the regent of her two sons who succeeded as Duke of Savoy.
Francis Hyacinth of Savoy (1632-1638) died aged 6 and was succeeded by his brother Charles Emmanuel II, (1634-1675). After the Savoyard regency, the Dowager Duchess moved into the Palazzo Madama, Turin
Palazzo Madama, Turin
Palazzo Madama e Casaforte degli Acaja is a palace in Turin, northern Italy.-History:At the beginning of the first century BC, the site of the palace was occupied by a gate in the Roman walls from which the decumanus maximus of Augusta Taurinorum departed. Two of the towers, although restored,...
where she died in 1663. Charles Emmanuel II married twice; his first wife was his first cousin Françoise Madeleine d'Orléans
Françoise Madeleine d'Orléans
Françoise Madeleine d'Orléans was born a Princess of France and was the Duchess of Savoy as the first wife of Charles Emmanuel II. She was a first cousin of Louis XIV as well of her husband...
; they married in March 1663 just before Christine Marie's death; Françoise Madeleine died without issue but left a suite of rooms in the palace that had been decorated especially for her before her death in 1664. The new duchess was another Marie Jeanne of Savoy. She mothered the next Duke Victor Amadeus II, Duke of Savoy
Victor Amadeus II of Sardinia
Victor Amadeus II was Duke of Savoy from 1675 to 1730. He also held the titles of marquis of Saluzzo, duke of Montferrat, prince of Piedmont, count of Aosta, Moriana and Nizza. Louis XIV organised his marriage in order to maintain French influence in the Duchy but Victor Amadeus soon broke away...
- she was also regent of Savoy from 1675 to 1684.
Marie Jeanne of Savoy later moved into the Palazzo Madama where she died in 1724.
During reign of Victor Amadeus II the Daniel gallery was created, named after Daniel Seiter
Daniel Seiter
Daniel Seiter, Saiter, or Seyter was a Viennese born painter of the Baroque, who trained and worked in Italy.-Biography:According to Houbraken, he was born on the border of Switzerland and brought up in Vienna...
who painted the lavish murals. Victor Amadeus II also had a collection of summer apartments built in order to look onto the court and a winter apartment overlooking the gardens. His wife was the niece of Louis XIV
Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV , known as Louis the Great or the Sun King , was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre. His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, began at the age of four and lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days...
, born Anne Marie d'Orléans. The mother and aunt
Maria Luisa of Savoy
Maria Luisa of Savoy was a Savoyard princess and the first wife of Philip V of Spain. She acted as Regent of Spain and had great influence over her husband...
of Louis XV
Louis XV of France
Louis XV was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and of Navarre from 1 September 1715 until his death. He succeeded his great-grandfather at the age of five, his first cousin Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, served as Regent of the kingdom until Louis's majority in 1723...
were born in the palace in 1685 and 1688 respectively.
The Chapel of the Holy Shroud, the current resting place of the Shroud of Turin
Shroud of Turin
The Shroud of Turin or Turin Shroud is a linen cloth bearing the image of a man who appears to have suffered physical trauma in a manner consistent with crucifixion. It is kept in the royal chapel of the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in Turin, northern Italy. The image on the shroud is...
, was added to the structure in 1668-1694.
The Dukes of Savoy became the Kings of Sicily in 1713, but that was swapped with the Kingdom of Sardinia which they ruled from 1720 after the Treaty of The Hague
Treaty of The Hague (1720)
The Treaty of The Hague was signed on February 17, 1720. The treaty ended the War of the Quadruple Alliance, a conflict that arose between King Philip V of Spain and an alliance of Great Britain, France, Austria and the Dutch Republic.Philip was confirmed king of Spain by the Treaty of Utrecht in...
. Anne Marie d'Orléans died at the Palace in 1728.
Victor Amadeus III married Maria Antonietta of Spain
Maria Antonietta of Spain
Maria Antonia Ferdinanda of Spain was an Infanta of Spain and the youngest daughter of Philip V of Spain and Elisabeth Farnese. She was the wife of Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia whom she married in 1750...
but they preferred to use the Palazzina di caccia di Stupinigi in the country. The Neoclassical style was introduced to the palace in the Charles Emmanuel III. The palace was overshadowed by the Stupinigi building later on; when the Victor Emmanuel II of Sardinia
Victor Emmanuel II of Italy
Victor Emanuel II was king of Sardinia from 1849 and, on 17 March 1861, he assumed the title King of Italy to become the first king of a united Italy since the 6th century, a title he held until his death in 1878...
married Maria Adelaide of Austria
Maria Adelaide of Austria
Adelaide of Austria was the first wife of Victor Emmanuel II of Sardinia, future King of Italy. She was the mother of some eight children including the future Umberto I of Italy...
, the palace once again saw some life with the redecoration of some rooms. In 1946, the palace was claimed by the Italian Republic and turned into a "Museum of the life and works of the House of Savoy".
Its rooms are decorated with rich tapestries and a collection of Chinese and Japanese vases. The Royal Armory houses an extensive array of arms, including examples from the 16th and 17th centuries.
The Scala delle Forbici is a staircase by Filippo Juvarra.
The Chapel of the Holy Shroud, with its spiral dome, was built in the west wing of the palace, joining the apse of the cathedral of St. John the Baptist
Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist (Turin)
Turin Cathedral is the major Roman Catholic church of Turin, northern Italy. Dedicated to Saint John the Baptist , it was built during 1491-1498 and it is adjacent to an earlier campanile...
, to house the famous Shroud of Turin
Shroud of Turin
The Shroud of Turin or Turin Shroud is a linen cloth bearing the image of a man who appears to have suffered physical trauma in a manner consistent with crucifixion. It is kept in the royal chapel of the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in Turin, northern Italy. The image on the shroud is...
which belonged to the family from 1453 until 1946.