Quirinal Palace

History

The current site of the palace has been in use since ancient Roman times, as excavations in the gardens testify. On this hill, the Romans built temples for several deities, from Flora to Quirinus, after whom the hill was named. During the reign of Constantine the Great, the last complex of Roman baths was built here, as the statues of the twins Castor and Pollux taming the horses decorating the fountain in the square testify. The Quirinal, being the highest hill in Rome, was much sought after and became a popular location for the Roman patricians, who built luxurious villas there. An example is the remains of a villa in the Quirinal gardens, where a mosaic, part of the old floor has been found.

The palace, located on the Via del Quirinale and facing onto the Piazza del Quirinale, was built in 1583 by Pope Gregory XIII as a papal summer residence. The Pope, who wanted to find a location which was far away from the humidity and stench coming from the River Tiber and likewise the unhealthy conditions of the Lateran Palace, chose the Quirinal hill as it was one of the most suitable places in Rome. On the site, there was already a small villa owned by the Carafa family and rented to Luigi d'Este. The Pope commissioned the architect Ottaviano Mascherino to build a palace with porticoed parallel wings and an internal courtyard by incorporating the Carafa villa, the original nucleus of the palace, later known as the Gregorian building. That project was not fully completed due to the Pope's death in 1585. However, it is still recognisable in the north part of the courtyard, especially in the double loggia facade, topped by the panoramic Torre dei Venti (tower of the winds) or Torrino. To the latter, a bell tower was added according to a project by Carlo Maderno and Francesco Borromini.

Pope Paul V (r. 1605–1621) commissioned the completion of the work on the main building of the palace.

The palace was also used as the location for papal conclaves in 1823, 1829, 1831, and 1846. It served as a papal residence and housed the central offices responsible for the civil government of the Papal States until 1870. …

Architecture

The palace is composed of the main building, which is built around the majestic courtyard, with the most beautiful halls and rooms of the complex environments that serve as representative of the Presidency of the Republic, while the offices and apartments of the head of state are housed in the Fuga building at the end of the Manica lunga, the long building on the side of Quirinal street (via del Quirinale in Italian). On the piano nobile of the Manica lunga lie the opulent imperial apartments, which were specially arranged, decorated and furnished for two visits of Kaiser Wilhelm II (in 1888 and 1893) and which now houses the monarchs or foreign heads of state visiting the president of the republic. The palace has 1,200 rooms in all.

The rooms of the palace housed in the main building are:

The Staircase of Honour

The shape of the staircase was very useful during the papal period since the double-crossed ramp allowed people to reach the two main rooms of the papal palace directly: the Throne room, today the Great hall of cuirassiers, and the Consistory room, today the Great hall of banquets, at the time used as papal private apartments.

The Great Hall of the Cuirassiers

This was the throne room of the papal palace, where ambassadors and dignitaries were received and public audiences were held. The royal guards stood here during the Savoy period. Today, the room serves for public audiences, receptions, and solemn ceremonies held by the Presidency of the Republic.

The Pauline Chapel

It is the largest chapel in the building, built with the same size and shape as the Sistine Chapel so that the same ceremonial could be repeated both in the Vatican and in the Quirinal. Four popes were elected here. Today the chapel hosts concerts and religious ceremonies.

The First State Room

It is one among the rooms formerly part of the papal private apartments, today hosting informal meetings of the president of the republic on occasion. …