Victor Emmanuel II Monument
Victor Emmanuel II National Monument | |
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Monumento Nazionale a Vittorio Emanuele II | |
Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities | |
Height | 81 m (266 ft) |
Dimensions | |
Other dimensions | 135 m (443 ft) across x 130 m (427 ft) deep |
Technical details | |
Floor area | 717,000 m2 (7,717,724 sq ft) |
Lifts/elevators | 1 |
Grounds | 1.755 ha (4.34 acres) |
Design and construction | |
Architect(s) | Giuseppe Sacconi[1] |
The Victor Emmanuel II National Monument (
From an architectural perspective, it was conceived as a modern
It also preserves the Altar of the Fatherland (
It is currently managed by the
General description
The Vittoriano is on the Capitoline Hill, in the symbolic centre of ancient Rome, and is connected to the modern one thanks to roads that radiate from Piazza Venezia.[3]
Its design is a
The base houses the museum of
The structure is 135 m (443 ft) wide, 130 m (427 ft) deep, and 70 m (230 ft) high.[3][8] If the quadrigae and Winged Victorys are included, the height reaches 81 m (266 ft).[4] It has a total area of 17,550 m2 (188,907 sq ft) and possesses, due to the conspicuous development of the interior spaces, a floor area of 717,000 m2 (7,717,724 sq ft).[3][8]
One of the architecturally predominant elements of the Vittoriano are the external staircases, which constitute in the complex 243 steps, and the portico on the top of the monument, which is inserted between two lateral propylaea.
The
The monument, as a whole, appears as a sort of marble covering on the northern slope of the Capitoline Hill:[3] it was therefore thought of as a place where it is possible to make an uninterrupted patriotic walk (the path does not in fact have an architectural end, given that the entrances to the highest part are two, one for each propylaeum) among the works present, which almost all have allegorical meanings linked to the history of Italy.[8] Different are the vegetal symbols present, among which the palm, which recalls the "victory", the oak (the "strength"), the laurel (the "victorious peace"), the myrtle (the "sacrifice") and the Olive tree (the "concord").[10]
From a stylistic perspective, the architecture and works of art that embellish the Vittoriano have been conceived with the aim of creating a "national style" to be replicated in other areas.[11] It was designed to communicate the imperial splendours of ancient Rome.[12] Above all, for the realization of the Vittoriano, Giuseppe Sacconi took inspiration from the Neoclassical architecture—the reborn heir of the classical Greek and Roman architecture, on which Italic elements were grafted and eclectic influences added.[8]
The Vittoriano is regarded as a
History
Part of a series on the |
Culture of Italy |
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People |
Traditions |
After the death of
For this purpose, the Italian government approved the construction of a monumental complex on the Northern side of Rome's Capitoline Hill. The monument would celebrate the legacy of the first king of a united Italy and would become a symbol of national patriotism. The project was realized by Giuseppe Sacconi in 1885, in an eclectic style.[8][1]
Sacconi was inspired by the
To erect the Vittoriano it was necessary, between the last months of 1884 and 1899,[3] to proceed with numerous expropriations and extensive demolitions of the buildings that were on the site.[3] The place chosen was in the heart of the historic centre of Rome and was therefore occupied by ancient buildings arranged according to urban planning that dated back to the Middle Ages.[13] This was considered necessary because the Vittoriano should have been built in the heart of the historic centre of Rome, in a modern urban context, in front of a new large square (the future Piazza Venezia), which at the time was just a narrow open space in front of Palazzo Venezia.[14]
The general objective was also to make Rome a modern European capital that rivaled Berlin, Vienna, London and Paris[12] overcoming the centuries-old pontifical town planning.[12] In this context, the Vittoriano would have been the equivalent of the Brandenburg Gate of Berlin, the Admiralty Arch of London and the Opéra Garnier of Paris; these buildings are all united by a monumental and classical aspect that metaphorically communicates pride and the power of the nation that erected them.[12]
It would then become one of the symbols of the new Italy, joining the monuments of ancient Rome and those of the popes' Rome.[8][10] Having then been conceived as a large public square, the Vittoriano, in addition to representing a memorial dedicated to Victor Emmanuel II, was invested with another role—a modern forum dedicated to the new free and united Italy.[15]
Established Italian sculptors, such as
The decision to include an
After the
The Vittoriano was thus consecrated to a wide symbolic value representing a
With the rise of
-
The façade of the Pergamon Altar inspired Giuseppe Sacconi for the general project of the Vittoriano
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The demolition area on a map from 1870 where the Vittoriano and the future Piazza Venezia are marked in black
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Piazza Venezia as seen from the Vittoriano terraces
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Detail of the portico and one of the two propylaea
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
The monument holds the
His tomb is a symbolic shrine that represents all the fallen and missing of the war.[10] The side of the tomb of the Unknown Soldier that gives outward at the Altar of the Fatherland is always guarded by a guard of honour and two flames that burn perpetually in braziers.[18] The guard is provided with military personnel of the various weapons of the Italian Armed Forces, which alternate every ten years.[17]
The
Names
The Victor Emmanuel II National Monument is also known as "Mole del Vittoriano" or simply the "Vittoriano", and "Altare della Patria", which are now the most commonly used names for it.[8] From 1921, when the Unknown Soldier was buried under the statue of the goddess Roma in the part of the Vittoriano that is called "Altare della Patria", the expression began to indicate not only the place of burial of the soldier, or the personification of all the fallen and lost in war, but the whole structure due to the strong popular sentiment for the symbolic Unknown Soldier.[8]
Colloquially, the monument is also known as "The Wedding Cake" or "The Typewriter".[20]
Vittoriano plan
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Architectural and artistic works
Fountains of the two seas
Set against the external base of the Vittoriano, on the sides of the entrance to Piazza Venezia, are the "fountains of the two seas" which are dedicated to the
External staircases and terraces
The exterior staircases of the Vittoriano follow the ascending sides of the northern slope of the
At the entrance is a staircase leading to the terrace of the Altar of the Fatherland and of the Italian Unknown Soldier, which represent the first raised platform of the Vittoriano, as well as its symbolic centre.[8] The path along the staircase continues beyond the tomb of the Unknown Soldier to symbolically represent a continuous and uninterrupted procession of Italians, continuing up to the highest point of the construction, the portico and the propylaea.[11]
The artistic gate of access to the Vittoriano, which is the work of Manfredo Manfredi, is able to slide vertically underground on tracks. The plant that allows the lowering of the railing, originally hydraulic, was considered at the time of its construction among the most technologically advanced in the world. The entrance gate has a length of 40 m (131 ft) and a weight of 10,500 tons.[3]
On both sides of the entrance stairway are a series of sculptures that accompany the visitor towards the Altar of the Fatherland.
At the end of the entrance stairway, immediately after the statues of the Winged Victories, opens the terrace of the Altar of the Fatherland, the first raised platform of the Vittoriano, which is dominated centrally by the statue of the
At the sides of the Altar of the Fatherland, the staircase resumes dividing into two symmetrical ramps parallel to the tomb of the Unknown Soldier.[22] Both reach a pronaos where two large doors open (one on each side, both positioned symmetrically and laterally to the Unknown Soldier, and each in correspondence with one of the two propylaea) that lead to the interior spaces of the Vittoriano. Above each door are two statues; on the left door are The Politics and The Philosophy, while on the right door are two statues depicting The War and The Revolution.[8]
From the two shelves where the doors open to give access to the interior spaces, two further flights of stairs start that converge, directly behind the Altar of the Fatherland, towards the base of the equestrian statue of Victor Emmanuel II – the latter is on the second large elevated platform, in order of height, of the Vittoriano.[8] Behind it, the stairway resumes its ascent in the direction of the portico, reaching a small shelf, from which two staircases start laterally leading to the entrance of a propylaeum. Before reaching the entrances of the propylaea, each of the two staircases is interrupted, creating a small intermediate shelf, which allows access to the terrace of the redeemed cities—the third large and last elevated platform of the Vittoriano—directly behind the equestrian statue of Victor Emmanuel II and immediately below the colonnade of the portico.[22]
The redeemed cities are those united to Italy following the
At the centre of the row of altars of the redeemed cities, engraved on the stylobate, is a monumental inscription carved on the occasion of the solemn ceremony of the Unknown Soldier (4 November 1921) which contains the text of the Victory Bulletin, an official document written after the Armistice of Villa Giusti with which the general Armando Diaz, supreme commander of the Royal Army, announced, on 4 November 1918, the surrender of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the victory of Italy in the First World War.[8]
At the base of the text of the Victory Bulletin are two other altars similar to those of the redeemed cities but which have, instead of the municipal coat of arms of the municipalities, a
Altar of the Fatherland
The
The statue of the goddess Roma present at the Vittoriano interrupted a custom in vogue until the 19th century, by which the representation of this subject was with exclusively warlike traits. Angelo Zanelli, in his work, decided to further characterize the statue by also providing the reference to
The general conception of the bas-reliefs, beside the statue of the goddess Roma, one to her left and the other to her right, recalls Virgil's Bucolics and Georgics, which complete the triptych of the Altar of the Fatherland with the statue of the Roman divinity.[8]
The allegorical meaning of the bas-reliefs that are inspired by the works of Virgil is linked to the desire to conceptually render the Italian soul.[24] In the Georgics, the reference to the Aeneid is in fact present, and in both the works the industriousness in the work of the Italians is recalled.[11][24]
The bas-relief on the left of the Altar of the Fatherland represents the Triumph of Labour and the one on the right symbolizes the Triumph of the Patriotic Love where both converge scenically towards the statue of the goddess Roma.[11][10][13]
Equestrian statue of Victor Emmanuel II
After the Altar of the Fatherland is the equestrian statue of Victor Emmanuel II, a bronze work by Enrico Chiaradia and architectural centre of the Vittoriano.[8] The personifications of the noble Italian cities are carved on the marble base of the statue.[11] The statue is bronze, 12 m (39 ft) high, 10 m (33 ft) long, and weighs 50 tons.[8] Including the marble base, the entire sculptural group is 24.80 m (81 ft) high.[8]
The equestrian statue of
The statue being at the architectural centre of the Vittoriano, above the Altar of the Fatherland and in front of the colonnade of the portico, is not fortuitous – in classical antiquity such equestrian statues were often in front of colonnades, public squares, temples or along the triumphal streets; in places, therefore, stressing centrality. The presence of the basement on which the personifications of the noble cities are carved is linked to the same archaic traditions.[25]
Statues of noble cities
On the base of the equestrian statue of Victor Emmanuel II are sculptural depictions of 14
They are not the statues of the most important cities in Italy, but of those that were once capitals of
The 14 sculptural representations of the noble cities are deliberately placed at the base of the equestrian statue of Victor Emmanuel II, which metaphorically symbolizes the nature of historical foundations of Italy. In a broader sense, they also represent the concept that the unity of the homeland, as a whole, rests on a basis constituted by the municipalities.[27] Unlike those dedicated to the regions of Italy, the statues depicting the 14 cities are all the work of the same sculptor, Eugenio Maccagnani.[10]
Portico and propylaea
Continuing to climb the stairway beyond the equestrian statue of Victor Emmnauel II, is the most imposing and striking architectonic element—the large portico with Corinthian-style columns, slightly curved, on the top of the monument, and inserted between two temple propylaea called "sommoportico" due to its elevated position.[28] The propylaea are the two small porticos projecting from the portico, at its lateral (side) ends, that constitute the entrances.[3]
The portico is 72 m (236 ft) long[8] and is centrally supported by 16 15 m (49 ft) tall columns surmounted by Corinthian capitals, embellished by the face of the Italia turrita (at centre) and acanthus leaves.[8] The cornice above the colonnade is instead decorated with statues representing the 16 allegorical personifications of the Italian regions where each statue corresponds to a column.[11] Giuseppe Sacconi was inspired by the Temple of Castor and Pollux in the Roman Forum nearby.[8]
Each propylaeum has a bronze statue depicting quadrigae, each one hosting a Winged Victory. The architectural and expressive synergies of the triumphal arches are thus re-proposed—the allegorical meaning of the "quadriga", since ancient times, is in fact that of success.[29] This concept is reinforced by the presence of the Winged Victories, messengers descended from heaven by the divinities who flank the winner of a military battle as their favourite.[30]
The two quadrigae, as the Latin inscriptions placed on the pediments of the underlying propylaea expressly declare, symbolize the freedom of the citizens ("Civium Libertati", right) and the unity of the homeland ("Patriae Unitati", left), the two concepts pivots that inform the entire monument and are attributed to the sovereign Victor Emmanuel II.[10] The implicit message is that Italy, once again a single political group and gained independence, leaving behind the glories of Rome and the pomp of the papal court, is ready to spread a new Italian Renaissance articulated on the moral virtues represented allegorically in the Vittoriano.[9]
The concepts "freedom of citizens" and "unity of the homeland" also summarize the fundamental themes
The interiors of the portico and the propylaea can be accessed through two triumphal entrance stairways of each propylaeum. These are on a small shelf that can be reached via a short staircase that joins the terrace of the redeemed cities.[22] At the base of the entrance stairway of the propylaea are four statues of Winged Victories on triumphal columns, made in 1911 – two are at the entrance to the right propylea, and two at the entrance to the left propylea.[10]
Each entrance leads to a large quadrangular vestibule, in dialogue with the outside due to a colonnade, and from the vestibules one enters the interior spaces of the portico.[22] These rooms are decorated with mosaics, important works of floral Liberty and pictorial symbolism, which cover the lunettes and the two domes of the propylaea.[31] Even the mosaics have as their subject the metaphorical representation of virtues and feelings, very often rendered as allegorical personifications, which animated Italians during the unification of Italy.[9] The interiors of the portico are decorated with the allegories of the sciences, while the doors that connect the propylaea and the portico are embellished with depictions on the arts.[31]
The decoration of the ceiling of the left propylaeum was entrusted to Giulio Bargellini; in these mosaics he adopted innovative technical devices, such as the use of materials of various kinds and tiles of different sizes and inclined so as to create studied reflections of light, and where the lines of the mosaic representations continue towards those of the columns below.[31] The mosaics of Bargellini, along the highest part of the walls, represent figuratively The Faith, The Force, The Work and The Wisdom.[31] The decoration of the ceiling of the right propylaeum was instead entrusted to Antonio Rizzi. Rizzi dedicated himself, along the highest part of the vertical walls, to The Law, The Value, The Peace, The Union and The Poetry.[31]
The internal doors leading from the two propylaea to the portico are decorated with allegorical sculptures representing The Architecture and The Music, which are found in the vestibule on the left and which are the work of Antonio Garella, and The Painting and The Sculpture, in the vestibule on the right and which were made by Lio Gangeri.[31] The interior of the portico has a polychrome marble floor[32] and a Coffered ceiling—the latter of which was designed by Gaetano Koch, is called the "ceiling of the sciences".[31]
The ceiling owes its name to the bronze sculptures of Giuseppe Tonnini placed inside the portico, collectively known as The Allegories of The Sciences. They are all made up of female personifications:
Statues of the regions
The staircase leading to the terrace of the redeemed cities is the best point of observation of the statues of the Italian regions, since the latter are found on the cornice of the portico, each in correspondence of a column.[33] The presence of metaphorically depicting statues of the Italian regions is inspired by the allegorical personifications of the Roman provinces, often placed on commemorative monuments during the imperial era.[34] The number of statues placed on the top of the portico is equal to 16, given that at the time of the drafting of the construction project, 16 Italian regions were identified. Each statue is 5 m (16 ft) high and was entrusted to a different sculptor who were almost always native to the region of which he would have carved the image.[10] The cornice is also embellished with friezes consisting of eagles and lion heads.[8]
Internal crypt of the Unknown Soldier
The crypt of the Italian Unknown Soldier is under the equestrian statue of Victor Emmanuel II which can be accessed from the Shrine of the Flags museum, from where it is possible to see the side of the shrine of the Soldier that faces inwards.[8] It is thus by the Altar of the Fatherland, from where the outward side of the tomb is seen.[8]
The crypt of the Unknown Soldier is the work of the architect
The walls of the crypt are decorated with a mosaic of Byzantine style, by Giulio Bargellini, of a religious nature. The crucifixion of Jesus is above the tomb of the Unknown Soldier, where, on the walls, stand the patron saints of the Italian Armed Forces: Saint Martin patron of the infantry, Saint George of the cavalry, Saint Sebastian of the local police and Saint Barbara of the Italian Navy, artillery and military engineers. Finally, in the dome, is the Madonna of Loreto, patron saint of the Italian Air Force.[8]
Parts of the crypt and sepulcher were made with
Museums
Inside the Vittoriano are some museums dedicated to the history of Italy, especially the Unification of Italy ("Risorgimento"): the Central Museum of the Risorgimento (Italian: Museo Centrale del Risorgimento) with an adjoining study institute, the Flag of Italy Memorial (Italian: Sacrario delle bandiere) and an area that hosts temporary exhibitions of artistic interest, historical, sociological and cultural called "ala Brasini".[35][36]
Access to the Central Museum of the Risorgimento is on the left side of the monument, at the back of the
On the entrance stairway of the Central Museum of the Risorgimento are visible engravings related to some significant episodes for the birth of the Risorgimento movement, from the seed thrown by the
The Central Museum of the Risorgimento also includes the Shrine of the Flags, a museum where the war flags of dissolved military units and decommissioned ships from the Italian Army, Italian Air Force, Italian Navy, Carabinieri, Polizia di Stato, Penitentiary Police and Guardia di Finanza are collected and temporarily stored. In case a unit is reformed, the flags are retrieved by the unit.[36] Access to the shrine is along Via dei Fori Imperiali, where memorabilia, relating mainly to the Risorgimento wars, in which the Italian Armed Forces took part, are also kept.[42]
The "ala Brasini", reserved for temporary exhibitions, is dedicated to Armando Brasini, the main promoter of the Central Museum. The wing has three exhibition rooms: the "large exhibition hall", with a surface area of 700 m2 (7,535 sq ft), generally hosts art exhibitions, and those that require more space, the "central hall" of 400 m2 (4,306 sq ft) and the "jubilee hall" of 150 m2 (1,615 sq ft), are used.[43]
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One of the two gates to the propylaea, a gateway to the internal exhibition spaces
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Entrance to the Central Museum of the Risorgimento from via di San Pietro in Carcere
References
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- ^ d'Aquino, Niccolò (February 2001). "Capitals: Rome". Europe (403): 36–38.
- ^ "Vittoriano, su con l'ascensore da oggi le terrazze con vista". Archived from the original on 2 September 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2010.
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- ^ a b c d e MILITE IGNOTO entry (in Italian) in the Enciclopedia italiana
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- ^ "Il mito della 'lampada perenne'" (in Italian). 13 January 2010. Archived from the original on 12 February 2018. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
- ^ Shapka, Lindsay (23 June 2012). "Art or Eyesore? The Victor Emmanuel II Monument AKA 'The Wedding Cake' in Rome". The Anthrotorian. Archived from the original on 24 May 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
- ^ ISBN 978-88-272-2498-4.
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- ^ "Treaty of Peace with Italy – Paris, 10 February 1947". Retrieved 15 March 2018.
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- ^ "Il Vittoriano: breve guida alla comprensione dei simboli del monumento al primo re d'Italia ed all'Unità della Patria" (in Italian). Archived from the original on 15 September 2017. Retrieved 5 February 2018.
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- ^ a b Touring Club Italiano, Guida rossa Italia centrale, 1925
- ^ "Cronologia del Vittoriano" (in Italian). Archived from the original on 27 February 2018. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
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External links
Preceded by Fontana del Tritone, Rome |
Landmarks of Rome Victor Emmanuel II Monument |
Succeeded by Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (Italy) |