Porta Felice | |
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General information | |
Architectural style | Renaissance, Baroque |
Location | Palermo |
Country | Italy |
Coordinates | 38°07′11″N13°22′16.60″E / 38.11972°N 13.3712778°E |
Construction started | 1582 |
Completed | 1637 |
Design and construction | |
Architect(s) | Mariano Smiriglio |
Porta Felice is a monumental city gate of Palermo, Sicily; the gate is located in the zone of the Foro Italico and the Castellammare quarter. It represents the water-side entrance into what was formerly known as Via Cassaro, the most ancient main street of the city, but renamed Via Vittorio Emanuele after Italian unification. The gate was built in Renaissance and Baroque styles between the 16th and 17th centuries.
In 1581 the street of the Cassaro was extended in the vicinity of the sea. [1] The Viceroy of Sicily Marcantonio Colonna decided to build a monumental gate in the new water-side entrance of the Cassaro (the same thing was done on the opposite side with Porta Nuova). [1] The gate was named after the wife of Colonna, Felice Orsini. [1] On 6 July 1582 the groundbreaking ceremony took place. [1]
In the following years the construction was stopped. [2] In 1602 the new Viceroy Lorenzo Suárez de Figueroa y Córdoba, Duke of Feria, decided to resume the work. [2] The project was assigned to the senatorial architect Mariano Smiriglio. [2] When he died, in 1636, the work was assigned to Pietro Novelli. [2] In 1637 the gate was completed. In 1642 two fountains were added. [1]
During the Second World War the right pillar was almost entirely destroyed by aerial bombing. [2] Later, a restoration has partially succeeded in restoring Porta Felice to its former glory.
Flanking the pillars on the second floor, facing seaward, are statues representing two female saints: Santa Ninfa and Santa Cristina. At the top of the pillar are eagles with the coat of arms of the viceroy Colonna. The eagle as well is a symbol of Palermo and the Hapsburg monarchs.
Palermo is a city in southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. The city is noted for its history, culture, architecture and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,700 years old. Palermo is in the northwest of the island of Sicily, by the Gulf of Palermo in the Tyrrhenian Sea.
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The Cassaro is the most ancient street of Palermo. From the late 16th century the street also had the name Via Toledo. Following the unification of Italy, it was officially renamed Via Vittorio Emanuele II, but the old and distinctive name is still in use. The street is rooted in the age of the foundation of Palermo by the Phoenicians. It provides access to a number of important sights, including the Royal Palace and the Cathedral, two UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
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The Church of Most Holy Saviour is a Baroque-style, Roman Catholic church located on #396 of the ancient main street of the Palermo, the Cassaro, presently Via Vittorio Emanuele, in the ancient quarter of the Albergaria of the city of Palermo, region of Sicily, Italy.
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The Palazzo Butera is a Baroque-style aristocratic palace located facing the Mediterranean in the ancient quarter of Kalsa of central Palermo, region of Sicily, Italy. On the shoreside, the long facade has a wide terrace, built atop the base of the former walls and called Passeggiata delle Cattive, in front of this is the park Foro Italico, in front, rising just south of Porta Felice and Via Vittorio Emanuele ; the access to the palace is from the land-side street of Via Butera.
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