In the distant past there was no stronger than the state throughout the Mediterranean than Venice. Many years have passed, and now this city attracts to these places not various merchants and invaders, but great amount tourists from all over the world who want to enjoy the amazing splendor of Venetian sights.
One of them is a masterpiece of architecture, presented in the Gothic style - the Doge's Palace. For many hundreds of years, it served as the residence for the city government and even managed to visit the role of the premises where the republican councils used to hold meetings. We learn about this world-famous building from this article.
Foundation and reconstruction
The Doge's Palace (Italy) began its existence in the 10th century, but the building was periodically subjected to devastating fires. Therefore, the structure in our time has a completely different look than the one that he had more than a millennium ago.
In the first years of its foundation, the palace was a real fortress and acted as an object of strategic importance. A large moat was built around it, and huge watchtowers rose everywhere. Over time, it was all destroyed to the ground by a strong fire.
In the middle of the 14th century, construction began on the most recognizable southern part of the building, which offers a wonderful panorama. Then the government of Venice decided that all city power should be located in a luxurious and presentable place, so the choice fell on the Doge's Palace. The history of this building suggests that for some time it was located secret police and office.
AT late XVI century, this building suffered from a new fire, completely wiping out its entire southern wing. After the Italian architects, it was decided to create such a palace that would inspire respect and awe to all foreign ambassadors. Thanks to this, it becomes clear why this Venetian attraction has such a luxurious decoration and amazes with its magnificence.
The appearance of the building
When you look at the Doge's Palace, one gets the impression that its facade consists of various elements architectures that have absolutely nothing to do with each other. But at the same time, the building looks amazing, attracting the eye of any visitor.
All finishing works of the building were carried out mainly at the end of the 15th century. At this time, just the Gothic style was gradually replaced by an era of harmonious Renaissance. Therefore, architectural rounded shapes predominate in the facade, shimmering with sunlight various shades of marble.
The Doge's Palace has one detail that overshadows its history. Here, on the second floor, where the ninth and tenth columns were built of red stone, the verdicts on the death penalty were announced.
In the central part of the building there is a balcony, above which there is a sculpture depicting Justice. AT XIX century from this place, the unification of Italy was also announced.
Description of the palace
The style of the Doge's Palace is presented in different architectural directions. The first tier of the structure is specially made in such a way as to give the building a certain lightness, but this is only at first glance. The Doge's Palace is supported by 36 huge columns. And on the second tier of the building there are much more of them, but they are smaller in diameter. The front part of the structure is somewhat reminiscent of an overturned ship. In its inner courtyard there are several floors of beautiful galleries. You can go there through different gates, one of them is called Paper. They are so called due to the fact that local authorities used to post their decrees here.
In the north wing there are many statues of various famous philosophers, as well as this part of the building in old days served as the Doge's apartments. Here, archangels stand in the corners, symbolizing war, trade and peace.
You can get to the second floor of the Venetian attraction through the Staircase of the Giants, on the upper platform of which the rulers were crowned. Here they stand everywhere personifying St. Mark, who is considered the patron saint of the entire republic.
The halls of the Doge's Palace are an unusual and amazing sight. Here are the most beautiful paintings made by the best Italian masters, and many different unique architectural monuments from different times. In these premises, important state issues were previously discussed and sentences were pronounced, but at the present time they are of great interest to all connoisseurs of art and culture.
According to many tourists, interesting location Doge's Palace has its halls and galleries. The plan for its construction was developed by famous Italian architects.
and the Grimani Hall
At the beginning of the tour, all tourists enter the Purple Room. Here the doge appeared before the procurators, so the walls and ceiling of this room are richly decorated, and the marble fireplace of this room is decorated with the coat of arms of the ruler Agostino Barbarigo, who in the old days submitted all of Venice. The Doge's Palace keeps its paintings in the Grimani Hall. Many of them depict the patron saint of Venice - St. Mark. In addition, this room contains beautiful frescoes and many interesting historical exhibits.
Hall of the Four Doors, Hall of the College, Hall of the Senate
The second flight of the Golden Stair leads tourists to the Hall of Four Doors. Its ceiling was designed by the great Palladio and painted by Tintoretto.
In another adjoining room, one of the walls is decorated with various mythological scenes, and one of the most dramatic paintings of the palace, The Rape of Europa, is located in this room near the window.
Next comes the Hall of the College, where the rulers and their advisers received foreign ambassadors and also discussed the great deeds of the republic. This room contains 11 paintings by the great artists of that era.
In the next room, the ruler and his 200 assistants discussed various matters. international importance, therefore the room received the appropriate name - the Senate Hall.
In the Hall of the Council of Ten, meetings of powerful representatives of the city government were held, at which issues of state security were raised. In this room, the ceiling is adorned with two magnificent paintings by Veronese.
In the next room - the Armory, there is a mailbox, which at one time served for anonymous denunciations. From there, a large wooden door leads to the Hall of State Inquisitors, and after it immediately goes the room where torture was carried out, and there were also prison cells.
The length of this room is 54 meters, so this room is considered the largest not only in the city, but throughout the country. Hall Grand Council is located in the southern part of the building and was once decorated with paintings by famous Italian artists, which, unfortunately, were destroyed in fires.
The painting of the Doge's Palace "Paradise", located in this room, is considered one of the largest in the world. The room has a huge flat ceiling, covered with magnificent paintings, which have a mandrel in the form of gilded patterns.
Currently, this room contains a complete collection of portraits of all the doges who ever ruled in Venice, except for Marino Faliero, who was executed for treason.
How to get to the palace for tourists?
The Doge's Palace is popular among travelers and admirers of all things beautiful at any time of the year, so it is almost impossible to buy tickets without a queue. In addition, this place can be visited by buying sightseeing tour in Venice to see all the sights of this city.
But you should carefully study the scope of the tickets, since not everything can include visiting the most secret places of the palace, and they are just of the greatest interest to tourists. These rooms are part of a long tour that must be paid separately.
Opening hours and how to get there
Between April and October, the Doge's Palace is open for tours from 08:30 am to 19:30 pm, and during the cold season - from November to March, it closes 2 hours earlier. The entire inspection of the building will cost about 20 euros per person.
It will not be difficult at all to get into the Doge's Palace. Where is this building, tell anyone local. It is located at the following address: Piazzetta 1, thus being between Piazza Petit San Marco and the pier.
Which then was not yet called that, was a commune; it was ruled by twelve tribunes, chosen in 466 at an assembly in Grado. Each of them ruled a separate island, but they were all subordinate to the emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire. The wars with the Lombards clearly showed the need for unification, and in 697 (along with the stands), the inhabitants of the island city-state elected their first doge - Paololuzzio Anafesto became him. The Doge was allegedly elected to conclude a peace treaty with the king of the Lombards, but in science this version is considered legendary.
At first, the Doge's residence was Heraclea, later his residence was located in Malamocco, and in 810 Doge Agnelo Participazio transferred it to the island of Rialto. For the construction of the city, Agnelo Participazio created a commission of three people: one was responsible for the creation of sand barriers, breakwaters, thanks to which a certain level was maintained in the lagoon; the second is for creating complex system canals for draining swamps and preparing land for laying piles and foundations; the third - directly for the construction.
The Doge, who was elected for life, was a living symbol of the Most Serene Republic, and in official documents he was called the Sovereign. The election of the doge, his consecration and wedding were arranged with magnificent ceremonies; at the time of taking office, he appeared before the people in a chapel built on a platform, and then, together with the chief commandant of the Arsenal, sat down in a palanquin, which people specially assigned for this purpose carried around St. Mark's Square. At this time, the Doge threw new, freshly minted coins with his profile into the crowd.
The doge's ceremonial attire was distinguished by royal luxury and splendor: a long cloak of woven gold fabric, over which was thrown an ermine mantle with large buttons down the neck; red pants and a thin dress, black shoes, decorated with gold and purple. The Doge's crown, according to the description of the French educator Charles Montesquieu, was "a tall cap adorned with large pearls and equally large precious stones". The crown was made of gold-woven fabric, and gold lay on it in two layers.
To visit monasteries and cathedrals, as well as to meet with the people, the doge dressed in gold or purple (depending on the circumstances) attire, and he had a velvet umbrella embroidered with gold. So, at Christmas, he attended the church of Augustine nuns in a golden cloak; he was accompanied by senators in ceremonial robes of patterned fabrics trimmed with fur. On the occasion of the victory over Padua (1162), the Doge came to the Cathedral of San Marco in a robe of burgundy silk, and the senators surrounding him were in crimson robes.
By tradition, the doge appeared everywhere at the head of the procession, the number of participants in which varied depending on each specific case. If it was a funeral, he was accompanied by patricians in red robes, the chapter of the Cathedral of San Marco, musicians from the Royal Chapel, representatives of the clergy, etc. In other cases (for example, on the feast of St. Stephen), when the Doge went to the Cathedral of San Giorgio in large, brightly lit gondolas, his retinue was not so numerous: advisers, "wise men", civil and criminal judges, and some others.
From the first centuries of political history the Venetians attached particular importance to the Doge's Office, which was seen as the "heart of the State". All diplomatic messages were sent to the name of the doge, laws were issued on his behalf, all the affairs of the Republic of Venice were registered in the Chancellery, so it was the focus of all kinds of state secrets. Everything was recorded in it, entered into registers, registered and followed its intended purpose further. It can be said without exaggeration that thanks to the precise work of the Doge's Office, the mechanism of power in Venice worked extremely steadily.
The secretaries of the Chancellery were the most influential layer of the Venetian bureaucracy. They were experts in the law and various parties administrative and economic activities; often they were entrusted with the censorship of books. In addition, they performed the role of secretaries of embassies, as well as independently participated in diplomatic affairs. And diplomacy was in Venice for a very high level, as befits a maritime power. The Venetian ambassadors carried out assignments in many countries, from where they brought reports on their work and special reports ("relazioni"), describing in detail the geography of the country, its cities and ports, the armed forces and trade, the education system and architecture, as well as the specific character traits of its inhabitants. . For example, in a report compiled by Annibal Litoffi (the Venetian ambassador to England), it was reported that the British do not have a sense of humor, eat a lot, love comfort, but at the same time they are brave and warlike.
The following testimony about the Doge’s Office dates back to 1166: “Whenever one has to deal with matters, the legend of which will inevitably reach posterity, it is necessary to weave the knots of letters more closely - so that over time the indifference to what was in the past that has arisen does not bring doubt into the tradition of the past and would not generate discord out of the world. Thus, it was no coincidence that the pragmatic Venetians began to think early about history in order to be correctly interpreted in the ages. In 1446, at the Office of the Doge, the “School for the Training of the Office Elite” was established, which became the first public educational institution in Venice.
Doges usually became persons no younger than sixty years old and only by the will of the electors. In the presence of advisers, the new doge swore not to exceed the powers entrusted to him and to expose those who would incite him to usurp power. Relatives of the Doge could not hold managerial positions either in Venice or, even more so, abroad. Only the son and elder brother of the doge (in extreme cases, his nephew) could become members of the Senate, and even those without the right to vote. Doges were not allowed to make contact with the envoys of other states; they had to transmit all their letters and petitions through the Chancellery, and the Doge did not even have the right to print his correspondence, like other official letters, without the presence of advisers. He had no right to send letters to foreign diplomats, to receive and listen to legates, nuncios, envoys and officials on special assignments in his private apartments.
Of course, there could be no question of the Doge enriching himself by using his "official position". When a candidate was elected doge, it was assumed that he already had a solid fortune. Lodovico Manin (the last Doge of the Venetian Republic) was elected literally by force, against his own will, and only because of his huge fortune. The Doge was listed as an official in the pay of the Republic, and he was paid 100 sequins weekly (Wednesday), and his "salary" was 14,258 ducats a year. Luxurious holidays on the occasion of election and inauguration, all balls, banquets and fireworks, the Doge paid for from his own funds. He could borrow a certain amount from the state to cover urgent expenses related to the performance of his position, but after his death, the heirs were obliged to return the debt to the public treasury within a week. Otherwise, they were deprived of the right to hold public office.
Since the 11th century, a new system has been created in Venice government controlled, and from that time the doge's power began to be gradually limited. As early as 1032, doges were forbidden to appoint co-rulers. In the 12th century, the restrictions on the doge's rights become more numerous and already relate to his functions in governing the state, and from 1160 on the management of the overseas colonies of Venice; in the 1170s, his power over the state treasury was limited. Gradually, the doge lost the right to appoint officials (even of the lowest categories), the only exception being those who were directly under his control. Thus, in the 12th century, the doge was only the supreme commander and chairman of the various colleges. Although he signed decrees, his real power and rights were severely limited.
Even the Doge's Palace, although it was called that, was not their property. The palace was considered a public building, and the doge, according to a special decree, was obliged to settle in it a certain number of "poor artisans" for free. These additional rooms were located in the back of the Palace, and the palazzo itself was intended primarily for the work of the government, so among the eleven rooms assigned to the doge personally, most were reception rooms. In a word, dressed in truly royal clothes and being a model of state virtues, the doge was just a “sovereign without power, a sovereign shadow”, an exemplary Father, and not a Lord.
Venice is a paradise of love. The place where each loving soul will find its place, find peace and joy, as if it were home. Each building here is wrapped in a sweet feeling, each house has its own legend.
However, in addition to the fact that everything in this city is saturated with some amazing magic of the most beautiful feeling in the world, the sights of this city are of the greatest value for the culture of the whole world, since they are one of the most striking examples of two styles in architecture - elegant and unusual Gothic, and also lush, sumptuous Baroque.
Therefore, even if the traveler has not yet found his unique and magical feeling, then simply viewing such beautiful buildings as the Doge's Palace will bring him great pleasure.
History of the Doge's Palace
There is a landmark in beautiful Venice that all people who are lucky enough to visit this aspire to see. amazing city. Yes, and it is simply impossible not to notice it. This attraction is the Doge's Palace - a prime example Gothic as a style in architecture.
The palace is one of the main buildings that can be seen in Venice. At the beginning of its history, the palace served as the main residence of the Venetian doges. Doges in Venice were called people who were chosen to be the head of state. However, this title was abolished by Napoleon.
The history of the palace was very long, sometimes sad and instructive. And it began back in 810, when the first residence was built on the site of the palace. It was a fortress, which was washed by water from all sides. However, this building was burned down, the following buildings built here suffered a similar fate.
But from the fourteenth to the fifteenth century, new construction of the Doge's Palace began. This version was the closest to what tourists can see now.
In the sixteenth century, this building was badly damaged by fire, but the authorities decided to restore it exactly as it was before the invasion of fire. Thanks to this decision, now people can observe the palace, made in the Gothic style.
At all times in its history, the Doge's Palace in Venice played an important political role, since it was the building where all the highest political bodies gathered.
There were also various legal offices, numerous offices.
Every year in certain days the doge went out onto a beautiful balcony in order to show himself to his subjects. These days people from all over come here. All of them swam up to the balcony, and when the doge came out, it turned out that all the subjects were at the feet of their great ruler.
Doge's Palace in Venice today
AT modern time The Doge's Palace has more cultural than political value, since now this building houses a museum where tourists from different countries can learn the entire history of the palace and all of Venice.
It must be said that the Doge's Palace was built in different styles. Each separate part This building has its own unusual style, its own features, striking with its beauty and originality of many tourists.
The courtyard of the Doge's Palace is very beautiful. Tourists will be able to get here thanks to several gates. But there are those among them that have gained particular popularity. These gates are called Paper.
Until now, people do not know the reason why they were so named. Therefore, various rumors and legends circulate around this issue. Some people tend to believe that the gates are so named, because it was on them that the most important decrees were most often attached.
Others are convinced that the Paper Gate got its name due to the fact that scribes sat next to them, who helped people write petitions and complaints. However, the most amazing views await tourists already inside the magnificent palace.
State rooms, magnificent staircases, luxurious paintings and amazing wall decoration. Everything here looks not just great, but truly luxurious.
Read about here.
Surprisingly, only high-ranking officials or very rich people could walk through these halls before. And now most of the halls of the Doge's Palace are open to tourists.
It is better to book tickets to the Doge's Palace online, as most tours are limited. And tickets are not always available at the box office near the palace itself.
Doge's Palace video
In Venice, all roads lead to Piazza San Marco. at least, I, walking around the city, almost invariably find myself here. It is not surprising that this place attracts tourists so much: two of the main attractions of the city are located here - St. Mark's Cathedral and the famous Doge's Palace. Sailing to San Marco, we see probably the most classic Venetian view - front door cities.
So it was seen by residents and guests of the republic many centuries ago: a column with a lion of St. Mark, column from St. Theodore trampling the dragon, and on the right - the side facade of the Doge's Palace. Palazzo Ducale (as it is called in the Venetian manner) for long centuries was the center from which little Venice made world history until Napoleon put an end to the independence of the Venetian Republic in 1797. The palace was not only the home of the doge (supreme ruler of the republic), but also the seat of government meetings, a courthouse and a prison. At the turbulent moments of history, people gathered in front of the palace, the most important decrees and newly adopted laws were announced from its balconies. Now the Doge's Palace is the main museum in Venice, which I recommend visiting, even if you have little time in the city. Let's get to know him better.
Story
The first building on this site was built back in the 9th century, and at that time it was rather a small fortress among the swamps - far from the center of the then Venetian settlement. The construction of the Cathedral of St. Mark undoubtedly influenced the choice of the location of the doge's residence - the main cathedral and the palace of the supreme ruler had to be nearby, in the geographical conditions of Venice this was necessary. In the future, throughout the history of the republic, the doges lived only here. The need for a palace-fortress soon disappeared: the sea served as a natural defense.
The current building was erected for more than 100 years, completed only in 1424. Subsequently, the palace was completed many times, reconstructed, suffered from fires more than once, but still survived to this day without fundamental changes.
The palace was built in the then fashionable Gothic style. Its architecture is very unusual: a massive top part on thin legs, for example, at first even caused me a feeling of disproportion. However, this disproportion is apparent, the feeling of “lightness” of the lower part of the palace is created by numerous arched spans. I note that the upper part of the palace is not too rich in Gothic "lace". The fact is that the decoration of its facade was carried out much later than the construction itself, at a time when more strict architectural styles came to replace the Gothic.
By the way, pay attention to two red columns almost in the middle of the building. A certain sinister tradition is associated with them: either death sentences were announced from this place, or the Doge watched from here death penalty criminals - versions differ.
I will note for clarity: despite the outward pomp and importance of the title of doge, the real power of the supreme ruler of the Venetian Republic was extremely limited (with the exception of very very old times). AT later years Republic, it was largely a decorative position - all decisions were made by the Grand Council, and the Doge had to observe ceremonial and donate a lot from personal bins for the good of the Motherland. But, being chosen, the doge ruled until his death.
The Doge's Palace often suffered from fires. It burned out especially badly in 1577. Then a serious debate flared up: to restore the palace in its original form or completely remake it. Fortunately, the first approach prevailed, otherwise we could study the current view of the palace only from old paintings.
After the fall of the republic in 1797, the palace housed various government institutions, first Napoleonic, then Austrian, and then united Italy. In the 1920s, the palace was opened as a museum. I suggest you go there immediately.
Museum
In the old days, the famous Paper Gate served as the main entrance to the palace. These days they only work to get out of museum complex.
Ticket offices and the entrance to the museum are located on the side of the facade of the palace overlooking the bay. The queues here are usually small - especially compared to the crowds in front of the Cathedral of St. Mark or Campanile. However, I recommend arriving early: by the middle of the day the palace will be filled with people and it will not be very comfortable to inspect it, especially in the heat.
Buying tickets
The museum is open daily from 9-00 to 17-15 (from November to February - until 16-15). A ticket costs 20 EUR, it is the same for visiting the Doge's Palace, the Correr Museum, the Marcian Library and the Archaeological Museum. Individual tickets to these places are not sold.
How long will it take to visit the Doge's Palace? According to my feelings, even if you slowly walk through the halls, not stopping anywhere for more than 1-2 minutes, you will be able to get around the entire complex in 3 hours. If you go only to the most interesting places, but linger at individual exhibits a little longer - the same 3 hours appear. Around this time, standard excursions around the palace are designed, which are taken by tourists who come to Venice by bus for 1 day. In principle, such an excursion is quite enough if your time in the city is very limited. However, if you are not traveling by tourist bus and have at least 3 days in the city, I would recommend taking your time to explore the palace. If, at the same time, you take an excursion, then you can still wander through the halls on your own after it ends. Then the inspection will take you 4-6 hours, but the impression of what you see will be more complete.
Courtyard
After passing the ticket office, we find ourselves in the courtyard of the Doge's residence. This is the view that will immediately open before us.
The gallery on the right houses a small archaeological exhibition, it will take a little time to explore it. Let's go to the opposite side of the yard. I draw your attention to the wells - now they are not used, and once the water from them was considered the most delicious in Venice, water carriers carried it throughout the city.
So, we approached the entrance staircase of the palace - the Staircase of the Giants. It hosted the most important ceremonies of the republic, including the wedding of the new doge - here a ritual cap, a symbol of power, was put on his head. On the sides of the stairs are two statues: Mars and Neptune, which appeared in 1557, and behind is the exit from the museum through the Paper Gate, it’s too early for us to go there. Time to climb the stairs and go inside the palace.
In principle, you can explore the halls of the Doge's Palace in any order. During my first visit to the palace, for example, I immediately went to the state rooms. However, you can first walk through the Doge's apartments. If you started your tour with them, pay attention to the Hall of Maps with geographical maps and globes, the Hall of Philosophers and a small exhibition of paintings by famous masters - Bellini, Carpaccio, etc. If there is not much time to inspect the palace, I advise you not to linger in these halls - the most interesting is ahead.
Ceremonial rooms of the Doge's Palace
On the Golden Stairs. First halls
Visitors climb the Golden Staircase to the main halls of the palace, just as distinguished guests, ambassadors of world powers and big people republics. It was impossible for ordinary people to walk up this staircase - in the republic, the traditions established once and for all were strictly observed, there was even a special “golden” book with a list of noble Venetian families worthy of climbing the Golden Stairs. Before going upstairs, let's admire the view from the height of the gallery.
The first halls Hall of Four Doors, Hall in front of the College - delighted me with the richness of the decoration, but these were just hallways - places where visitors expected to be received by the Doge.
AT Hall of the College the doge and his advisers received foreign guests, their own diplomats and other important people. The college included the doge, his six advisers, the head of the council of ten, the supreme chancellor and several other dignitaries. The political structure of the republic was complex - large and small Soviets, the Collegium, the Senate, etc. Most of all, the Venetian nobility was frightened by the prospect of seizing power by one person - hence the abundance of power bodies that limit the power of the Doge and each other. Partly, it was the lack of strong power, its dispersion, that led to the deplorable end of the former empire.
All the main halls are decorated with paintings by the best Venetian artists - Titian, Tintoretto and others. The theme is the same - the glorification of the Venetian Republic, a description of its achievements and great victories. In the Collegiate Hall, my attention was drawn to Veronese's Sebastiano Venier after the Battle of Lepanto. Venier participated in the battle and was subsequently elected Doge, but he ruled for only a few months - he could not bear the grief from the fire of 1577 and the severe burnout of the palace.
AT Senate Hall I advise you to pay attention to the painting by Tintoretto "The Dead Christ Surrounded by Two Doges." Religious themes coexist with allegorical paintings, such as "Venice on the Throne". This room offers a typical view of the Venetian rooftops.
Hall of the Compass
Hall of the Compass (Bussola) was interesting to me, first of all, not with a compass (although it is available), but with one of the few surviving denunciation boxes.
On the one hand, it is just a slot - a kind of mailbox, and on the other - a safe with a double door, which could only be opened by two people at the same time - each with its own door. Similar boxes in Venice were usually decorated in the form of a lion's mouth and were found throughout the city, and not just in the palace. Apparently, the Venetians denounced each other very recklessly; a huge number of such pieces of paper are still stored in the archives.
There were two secret doors leading out of the Compass Room, one of them leading directly to the prison on the top floor. In the hall, the accused often waited for the verdict. Also, with bated breath, the people summoned because of the denunciation were waiting for the trial of their case.
All these cases were tried in Hall of the Council of Ten
. The council was formed after a conspiracy in 1310 (to nip this in the bud) and was, in fact, the secret police of the Venetian Republic. In addition to 10 annually re-elected members, the Council included the Doge and 6 of his advisers. The glory of the Council of 10 was ominous. Now it is already difficult to say whether such cruel arbitrariness was really going on there, as it was later represented by Napoleonic propaganda. If so, then it worked: for a long time in mass consciousness The Venetian Republic became associated with total fear and denunciation, as well as with ruthless judges churning out guilty verdicts in the Council of Ten chamber and sending prisoners under the "lead roof" - the name of the old prison, whose cells were located directly above the Council premises.
Armory halls
If time permits, I recommend visiting Armory halls . Halberds, swords, pikes, crossbows, armor from different times are exhibited here - in a word, there is something to see. Formally, the weapons belonged to the Council of Ten and, they say, were always kept in combat readiness - you never know what ... There is a feeling that the Venetians lived all the time, like on a volcano. But in more than a thousand-year history of the republic, not a single serious riot or popular uprising is an amazing achievement.
In the armory Special attention should be drawn to the horse armor of the King of France Henry IV, donated by him to the republic in 1603. Yes, there were times when the most powerful rulers of the world sought the location of Venice.
Having passed Hall of the Council of Forty and several rooms adjacent to it, we will find ourselves in the main room of the Doge's Palace - Hall of the Great Council. This supreme body the authorities of the republic met here, and by the end of the 18th century it had grown to 1600 people. Not surprisingly, this government hall was the largest in Italy.
It was decorated by the best artists of Venice, but, alas, the fire of 1577 completely destroyed the old building with all the masterpieces. Of the masters old school only Tintoretto and Veronese took part in the restoration work. The most famous painting in the Hall of the Great Council - "Paradise" - is just the authorship of Tintoretto and his son. This one of the world's largest paintings occupied the entire wall behind the doge's throne.
The walls of the Great Council Hall are decorated with large-scale paintings glorifying the glorious events of Venetian history. Here are 12 paintings describing the confrontation between Emperor Frederick Barbarossa and the Pope Alexander III(their reconciliation took place precisely in Venice, which subsequently enjoyed the location of both). For a long time I studied a series of paintings glorifying the Fourth Crusade, during which, with the active participation of the Venetians, Constantinople was taken and plundered. It is very difficult to call this page of the history of the republic glorious, although it was as a result of that campaign that Venice reached the peak of its power. Almost 600 years later, in many ways, it repeated the fate of Constantinople: the French took out a huge amount of treasures and cultural values from the city.
A separate place in the hall of the Great Council (as well as in the adjacent Hall of Voting ) occupy battle canvases: the victories of the Venetians over Genoa, Milan and over the Turks at Lepanto were widely reflected in the work of artists.
In the Hall of the Great Council, one of the most ornate ceremonies of the Republic of Venice, the election of the doge, ended. History probably did not know a more intricate system of elections. I will retell briefly and in my own words: first 100 people choose 30 people, then these 30 people choose 50 people, then those 50 people choose 300 people, and so on. At the end of this chain, someone finally chose the Doge. By the way, the portraits of all the doges of the republic also adorn the Hall of the Great Council. I specifically found one place with a black drapery, instead of a portrait: in this place there was an image of Doge Marino Faliero, the only ruler executed for treason (which is what the inscription tells us about).
On the Bridge of Sighs to prison and back. The last halls of the palace
After passing through the bridge, we will be able to examine the gloomy cells of the New Prison. It won't take long to get around them - there is nothing remarkable inside, but the atmosphere is really oppressive, I vividly imagined what it was like to be a prisoner.
After examining the cells and the prison courtyard, we will get acquainted with a small exposition dedicated to the work of prisoners of not so ancient times - the beginning of the 20th century (surprisingly, the prison functioned until the end of World War II). The creativity of the prisoners is represented by drawings and inscriptions on the walls - indeed, many talented people.
In the room in front of the bridge, a small archaeological exhibition is organized - objects found during excavations of the foundations of Campanile San Marco are displayed. It is known that it completely collapsed in 1902, and in the process of work on its restoration, many items were found related to the most different periods Venetian history, in particular - the remains of domestic animals.
Having studied all the interesting things, we return along the corridor of the Bridge of Sighs back to the palace. There are still a few small rooms left to go. Basically, these are the premises of various bureaucratic departments - notaries, censors, etc.
Soon we will enter a room with a souvenir shop, next to it are a cafe and toilets. Buying souvenirs here is not very profitable, but there is a large selection of books on the history of Venice and the Doge's Palace in different languages, including Russian. Going down the stairs from here, we will again find ourselves in the courtyard.
Here you can sit and relax on a bench and think future plans for a day. If we have already examined everything we wanted in the Doge's Palace, we are moving to the exit to the Paper Gates.
But stay a little longer near the staircase of the Giants: next to it, in the back street of one of the galleries, there is an original sculpture of St. Theodore trampling the dragon, the same one - from the column in front of the palace. On the column, it was replaced with a copy a long time ago, and here we can appreciate its truly impressive size and a very peculiar view from close up.
It is believed that this composition was "assembled" from the fragments of ancient Roman statues, which explains its lurid appearance. The dragon is especially good, it looks more like a crocodile, which is tired of everything in this life.
After enjoying the masterpiece, we exit through the gate to Piazza San Marco.
How to get to the Doge's Palace
Most tourists get to the Doge's Palace by vaporetto (No. 1, No. 2, etc.). Get off at the San Zaccaria stop (1) and walk along the promenade to the left. When you cross the Straw Bridge (2), the Doge's Palace (3) will be on your right. If you are walking around Venice on foot and want to find the palace, move in the direction of Piazza San Marco (4), since there are enough signs in the city. Once on the square, go towards the embankment past the Cathedral of St. Mark (5) and the Doge's Palace (3) will be on your left.
There are many interesting things nearby. After a bite to eat in one of the cafes on San Marco or in the immediate vicinity, you can go to the Correr Museum (6) - you already have a ticket. To get there, go from the Doge's Palace and the Cathedral of St. Mark to the opposite end of the square, keeping to the left. The museum is located in the building of the New Procurations, and it organically complements the exposition of the Doge's Palace: there are fewer large-scale paintings on the entire wall and halls with rich history, but the life of Venice of different years is presented in detail - archaeological finds, documents, suits, coins, etc. In addition, you can see a collection of paintings from the 12th-17th centuries, Greek and Roman sculptures from the 5th-4th centuries BC, as well as the famous Marcian Library (7).
The main thing here is to correctly calculate your strengths: you should not try to embrace the immensity. If you feel tired, take a rest in the garden (8) behind the library and go for a walk towards Rialto, enjoying the unique Venetian streets. In any case, this day will become one of your most vivid memories of Venice.
