Walls of Padua
Encyclopedia
The Walls of Padua are a complex of defensive works around the Italian
city of Padua
, designed to defend it from hostile attack. It was built in 4 phases.
) in which developed Padua's first urban centre.
, the Tronco Maestro and the Naviglio Interno, which came to be used as defensive ditches. There are several remains of them around the Castello and near Porta Molino. More minor remains are to be found in the Riviera Tito Livio and Riviera Albertino Mussato; the only gates to remain from this wall are the main north gate, Porta Molino (or Molini, after several mills in the area which functioned up to the early 20th century), and the main west gate, Porta Altinate (named after the road to Altino
which began here).
The Porta Molino's upper stories were used at the end of the 19th century as a reservoir the town's first drinking water system, though tales of the tower being used as an observatory by Galileo Galilei
during his time in the city are probably false. The Porta Altinate fronted onto the Naviglio Interno, crossed by an ancient Roman three-arch bridge (the Naviglio and the bridge were buried in the 1960s), and in 1256 this gate was stormed and destroyed by crusaders fighting against Ezzelino da Romano
(as recorded in an inscription recorded by Carlo Leoni
). It was rebuilt in 1286.
to create the Renaissance wall - some sections can be seen in via delle Dimesse, near the Prato della Valle
.
. They were protected on its west flank by a canal
known as the fossa Bastioni, which still exists. They survive to this day, almost entirely unbroken apart from sections demolished in the 1960s to build the new Ospedale Civile. Nearly all the walls' gates survive, including
, though recent works seem to be moving in the opposite direction (including the controversial monument "Memory and Light" by the architect Daniel Libeskind
in the golena of the Porte Contarine).
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...
city of Padua
Padua
Padua is a city and comune in the Veneto, northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Padua and the economic and communications hub of the area. Padua's population is 212,500 . The city is sometimes included, with Venice and Treviso, in the Padua-Treviso-Venice Metropolitan Area, having...
, designed to defend it from hostile attack. It was built in 4 phases.
Roman
Of the walls built during the ancient Roman era, the only traces to survive are those incorporated into the foundations of certain palazzi. The route of this wall corresponded to a meander of the river Medoacus (now the Brenta RiverBrenta River
The Brenta is an Italian river that runs from Trentino to the Adriatic Sea just south of the Venetian lagoon in the Veneto region.During Roman era, it was called Medoacus and near Padua it divided in two branches, Medoacus Maior and Medoacus Minor ; the river changed its course in early Middle...
) in which developed Padua's first urban centre.
13th century
The Mura Duecentesche ("13th century walls"; also known as the mura comunali or mura medievali) were built at the start of the 13th century by the Comune of Padua. Their route was delimited by the two branches of the BacchiglioneBacchiglione
The Bacchiglione is a river that flows through northern Italy. It rises in the Alps and empties into the Gulf of Venice, on the Adriatic Sea, near Chioggia...
, the Tronco Maestro and the Naviglio Interno, which came to be used as defensive ditches. There are several remains of them around the Castello and near Porta Molino. More minor remains are to be found in the Riviera Tito Livio and Riviera Albertino Mussato; the only gates to remain from this wall are the main north gate, Porta Molino (or Molini, after several mills in the area which functioned up to the early 20th century), and the main west gate, Porta Altinate (named after the road to Altino
Altinum
260px|thumb|Remains of the Roman [[decumanus]].Altinum is the name of an ancient coastal town of the Veneti 15 km SE of the modern Treviso, northern Italy, on the edge of the lagoons...
which began here).
The Porta Molino's upper stories were used at the end of the 19th century as a reservoir the town's first drinking water system, though tales of the tower being used as an observatory by Galileo Galilei
Galileo Galilei
Galileo Galilei , was an Italian physicist, mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher who played a major role in the Scientific Revolution. His achievements include improvements to the telescope and consequent astronomical observations and support for Copernicanism...
during his time in the city are probably false. The Porta Altinate fronted onto the Naviglio Interno, crossed by an ancient Roman three-arch bridge (the Naviglio and the bridge were buried in the 1960s), and in 1256 this gate was stormed and destroyed by crusaders fighting against Ezzelino da Romano
Ezzelino III da Romano
Ezzelino III da Romano was an Italian feudal lord in the March of Treviso who was a close ally of the emperor Frederick II and ruled Verona, Vicenza and Padua for almost two decades...
(as recorded in an inscription recorded by Carlo Leoni
Carlo Leoni (historian)
Conte Carlo Leoni was an Italian historian and epigraphist. Above all, he recorded several inscription on the city walls of Padua, which were characterised more by prosopography and grandiloquence than by historical precision.-Source:...
). It was rebuilt in 1286.
14th century
The Mura Carraresi ("Carraresi's Walls") were built by the Carraresi in the 14th century and followed a route which corresponds almost entirely to that of the later 16th century wall. Almost nothing remains of them, since they were demolished during the War of the League of CambraiWar of the League of Cambrai
The War of the League of Cambrai, sometimes known as the War of the Holy League and by several other names, was a major conflict in the Italian Wars...
to create the Renaissance wall - some sections can be seen in via delle Dimesse, near the Prato della Valle
Prato della Valle
Prato della Valle is a 90,000 square meter elliptical square in Padova, Italy. It is the largest square in Italy, and one of the largest in Europe...
.
16th century
The Mura Cinquecentesche ("16th century Walls"; also known as the Mura rinascimentali or Mura Veneziane) were built by the Venetian Republic during the first decades of the 16th century as a project of the condottiero Bartolomeo d'AlvianoBartolomeo d'Alviano
Bartolomeo d'Alviano was an Italian condottiero and captain who distinguished himself in the defence of the Venetian Republic against the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian.-Biography:...
. They were protected on its west flank by a canal
Ditch
A ditch is usually defined as a small to moderate depression created to channel water.In Anglo-Saxon, the word dïc already existed and was pronounced 'deek' in northern England and 'deetch' in the south. The origins of the word lie in digging a trench and forming the upcast soil into a bank...
known as the fossa Bastioni, which still exists. They survive to this day, almost entirely unbroken apart from sections demolished in the 1960s to build the new Ospedale Civile. Nearly all the walls' gates survive, including
- Porta Savonarola - Completed in 1530. Designed by the architect Giovanni Maria FalconettoGiovanni Maria FalconettoGiovanni Maria Falconetto was an Italian architect and artist. He designed the first fully Renaissance building in Padua, the Loggia Cornaro, a garden loggia for Alvise Cornaro built as a Roman doric arcade...
, this gate was built with a frieze showing the Lion of Saint MarkMark the EvangelistMark the Evangelist is the traditional author of the Gospel of Mark. He is one of the Seventy Disciples of Christ, and the founder of the Church of Alexandria, one of the original four main sees of Christianity....
, symbol of the Venetian Republic, which still survives. - Porta san Giovanni - Completed in 1528. Designed by the architect Giovanni Maria FalconettoGiovanni Maria FalconettoGiovanni Maria Falconetto was an Italian architect and artist. He designed the first fully Renaissance building in Padua, the Loggia Cornaro, a garden loggia for Alvise Cornaro built as a Roman doric arcade...
, this gate originally had a frieze showing the Lion of Saint MarkMark the EvangelistMark the Evangelist is the traditional author of the Gospel of Mark. He is one of the Seventy Disciples of Christ, and the founder of the Church of Alexandria, one of the original four main sees of Christianity....
, symbol of the Venetian Republic (the frieze here was destroyed during the Napoleonic WarsNapoleonic WarsThe Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
). - Porta OgnissantiAll SaintsAll Saints' Day , often shortened to All Saints, is a solemnity celebrated on 1 November by parts of Western Christianity, and on the first Sunday after Pentecost in Eastern Christianity, in honour of all the saints, known and unknown...
(or Portello, Portello Nuovo or Portello Venezia) - Originally entitled Portello or Little Port, the gate was built at the terminus for the river trade along the Brenta between Padua and Venice. The present building replaces the Portello Vecchio, on what is now via San Massimo, but is rather different to the city's other gates of this date - the external facade is adorned with shining rocks from IstriaIstriaIstria , formerly Histria , is the largest peninsula in the Adriatic Sea. The peninsula is located at the head of the Adriatic between the Gulf of Trieste and the Bay of Kvarner...
, with four pairs of columns surmounted by an architraveArchitraveAn architrave is the lintel or beam that rests on the capitals of the columns. It is an architectural element in Classical architecture.-Classical architecture:...
embellished with four trachyteTrachyteTrachyte is an igneous volcanic rock with an aphanitic to porphyritic texture. The mineral assemblage consists of essential alkali feldspar; relatively minor plagioclase and quartz or a feldspathoid such as nepheline may also be present....
cannon balls. The three-arch bridge carrying the road over the Canale Piovego and through the gate is guarded by two white stone lions. This conceals the gate's true tactical nature. Stones in the gate (still legible today) commemorate the ancient origins of the town, elogising its good governance. Since 1535 a clock stands out from the gate on a sort of "torrino" (vaguely like that on the Quirinal), in NantoNanto, ItalyNanto is a town and comune in the province of Vicenza, Veneto, northern Italy. As of 2011 its population was of 3,071.-Geography:It is located next the Colli Berici, west of SP247 Provincial Road...
stone, atop the gate. Traces of frescoes can also be seen inside the gate. - Porta Liviana - Begun in 1509, it was completed in 1517 and named in honour of Bartolomeo d'Alviano himself.
- Porta Santa Croce - On the site of a gate in the Carraresi wall, the present gate was begun in 1509 and was originally defended by a tower, demolished in 1632.
Later use of the walls
Recent discussions about the city walls have discussed creating a green ring around them, a green lung as envisioned by the town planner Luigi PiccinatoLuigi Piccinato
Luigi Piccinato was an Italian architect and town planner.-Works:* Urbanistica medioevale, Firenze 1943 Luigi Piccinato (30 October 1899, Legnago, Veneto – 29 July 1983, Rome) was an Italian architect and town planner.-Works:* Urbanistica medioevale, Firenze 1943 Luigi Piccinato (30 October 1899,...
, though recent works seem to be moving in the opposite direction (including the controversial monument "Memory and Light" by the architect Daniel Libeskind
Daniel Libeskind
Daniel Libeskind, is an American architect, artist, and set designer of Polish-Jewish descent. Libeskind founded Studio Daniel Libeskind in 1989 with his wife, Nina, and is its principal design architect...
in the golena of the Porte Contarine).