Basilica Palladiana description and photos - Italy: Vicenza (Topic)

Basilica Palladiana description and photos - Italy: Vicenza. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photographs and a map showing the nearest significant objects. The name in English is Basilica Palladiana.

Photo and description

The Basilica of Palladiana is a Renaissance building in the center of Piazza dei Signori in Vicenza. Its most notable element is the loggia with one of the first examples of what would later become known as the Palladian Window, designed by the young Andrea Palladio. The work of this architect had a tremendous influence on the architecture of the Renaissance and beyond.

The basilica was originally built in the 15th century and was known as Palazzo della Rajone. The building housed the city hall, as well as several shops on the ground floor. When part of the building collapsed in the 16th century, the Council of the Hundred commissioned Palladio to rebuild the Palazzo. The architect began work in April 1549. He added marble fences to the building, the same loggia and portico that veiled the original Gothic architecture. The restoration of the basilica was not cheap and took a considerable period of time. Palladio himself received money for this work for most of his life. Only in 1614 - 30 years after the death of the architect - the work was completed. In 1994, the Palladian Basilica was included in the UNESCO list of World Cultural Heritage Sites. Today it hosts various exhibitions and social events.

In 2007, a large-scale project for the restoration of the basilica began. The roof of the building was taken apart in order to remove the reinforced concrete floors installed here after the Second World War, and replace them with lighter ones, made of laminated veneer lumber. The entire facade of the basilica has been carefully cleaned and reinforced and re-illuminated. It was planned that the work will be completed in 2008, the year of the 500th anniversary of the birth of Andrea Palladio, but they had to be extended. The entire restoration project of the Basilica of Palladian cost Vicenza 15 million euros.

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Topic: Basilica Palladiana description and photos - Italy: Vicenza.