Vittoriano

Project

After the death of Victor Emmanuel II, the Italian authorities in 1878 decided to erect a monument that would glorify the “Padre della Patria” (“Father of the Fatherland”) and with it the entire Risorgimento period. In 1880, the first international competition was announced, in which French architect Henri-Paul Neno won, but he was rejected as a non-Italian. In 1882, another competition was announced (among Italians only) with a detailed list of requirements: “The complex should be erected on the northern slope of the Capitol , on the Via del Corso axis; it should include a bronze equestrian statue of the king and a free-form building, of arbitrary shape, but covering the buildings behind it and the side facade of the church of Santa Maria in Araceli . ” Contestants received a year to draft. 98 projects were submitted, three came out in the final, and the royal commission unanimously preferred the project of the young architect Giuseppe Sacconi from Marche .

His initial project, one of the largest in the 19th century, envisaged the use of Roman travertine , but ultimately the main material for the monument was Bottician marble from the province of Brescia , better processed and originated from Giuseppe Zanardelli , a prominent politician, who made a royal decree. about the construction of the monument. Sakkoni in the development of the project was inspired by such huge antique ensembles as the Pergamon Altar and the Temple of Fortune in Preneste . Vittoriano remains the largest structure of the Bottichi marble.

Construction

To build something new on the slope of the Capitol, especially from 1885 to 1888. I had to confiscate and demolish many old buildings according to the program approved by the Prime Minister Agostino Depretis . They began to demolish the vast medieval quarter, destroyed the Tower of Paul III , the arch of San Marco - an overpass connecting the Palace of Venice with the Capitol, part of the Araceli Monastery and many smaller buildings; Araceli street is partially preserved, but no longer crossed the hill. In the course of the excavations, they discovered the insula Araceli - the ruins of a large Roman house of the 2nd c. n e., since available for inspection, fragments of the Servius Wall and mastodon bones. The remains of insula were found under the Church of Santa Rita (built in the XI century and again in the XVII century), which from 1928 began to be disassembled and by 1940 restored a little further, on the corner of Via del Teatro Marcello and Via Montanara. In 1887, during excavations, instead of solid rock from tuff, a cave, tunnels, sand and clay were found. According to legend, in three days Sakkoni managed to draw up a project to strengthen the cave; during World War II, it even served as a bomb shelter. The cost of construction from the planned 9 million lire by the end of the work increased to 27-30 million. In 1889, the sculptor Enrico Kyradia was commissioned to manufacture the equestrian statue of Victor Emanuel II; after the death of this sculptor in 1901, it was completed by Emilio Gallory , and in 1911 it was installed. In 1905, the chief architect Giuseppe Sacconi died, and work continued under the direction of G. Koch, M. Manfredi and P. Piacentini.

On June 4, 1911, King Victor Emmanuel III solemnly opened the complex during the festivities dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the unification of Italy . However, the complex was supplemented and later: quadrigues, symbolizing Unity and Freedom, were put on saw cuts between 1924 and 1927, and the last works ended only in 1935.

The main part of the structure is formed by a monumental neoclassical portico with columns of the Corinthian order . On the sides there are two pronaos adjacent to it, also of the Corinthian order, resembling the temple of Niki Apteros on the Athenian Acropolis . Pronaosa crowned with bronze statues depicting the quadrigu of Victoria , the goddess of victory. The left symbolizes Unity (Unità) and is made by sculptor Carlo Fontana; on the gable under it inscription PATRIAE UNITATI (the unity of the motherland); Victoria has the face of the Roman model Rosalia Bruni. The right quadriga is the Freedom (Libertà) of Paolo Bartolini, the inscription under it reads: CIVIUM LIBERTATI (freedom of citizens), and Victoria, according to legend, has the face of Vittoria Colonna, Duchess Sermonet.

There are two fountains in front of the building. The left (by Emilio Quadrelli) symbolizes the Adriatic Sea , located east of Italy, which personifies the Venetian lion of St. Mark . The right fountain (works of Pietro Canonica ) is dedicated to the Tyrrhenian Sea , washing the peninsula from the west, and its symbols are the she - wolf , the emblem of Rome, and the Parthenop siren , the symbol of Naples .

The protruding front part, to which the staircase leads and at the top of which stands the monument to Victor Emmanuel II, is the Altar of the Fatherland (Altare della Patria); sometimes the whole monument is called that. It was created by sculptor Angelo Zanelli , who won the competition in 1906. In the middle of the ledge stands the statue of the goddess Roma on a gold background. The plots of the bas-reliefs on either side of it are inspired by the “ Bucolik ” and “ Georgic ” by Virgil . The left bas-relief personifies Labor ; allegorical images of Agriculture, Cattle Breeding, Harvesting, Grape Harvesting and Irrigation are placed from right to left, then the winged genius of Labor goes back to a large triumphal plow, followed by Industry. The right bas-relief symbolizes Love for the Fatherland ; on it, from left to right, there are three women carrying the honorary wreaths of Rome, labarums (standards of the legions) carry them, followed by the triumphal chariot of Love for the Fatherland and the Hero, and finally the sacred fire of the Fatherland appears. Inside the Altar of the Fatherland is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier who died in the First World War . Dust chose from eleven coffins Maria Bergamas, the mother of Antonio Bergamas, who deserted from the Austrian army to join the Italian army, and who died in battle. The burial was made on November 4, 1921. ^[1] There is a guard of honor constantly standing in front of the grave.

Around the monument are six statues 6 m each, personifying the “ Values ​​of the Italians ” (I Valori degli italiani). In front of the monument there are two separate bronze ones: on the left - Il Pensiero by Giulio Monteverde , on the right - Action (L'Azione) by Francesco Gerace. The remaining four statues are made of Bottician marble: on the left, closer to the center is the Consent (La Concordia) by Ludovico Poljagi, and farther from the center is the Force (La Forza) by Augusto Rivalt; symmetrically to their right are the Sacrifice (Il Sacrificio) of the work of Leonardo Bistolfi (closer to the center) and the Right (Il Diritto) of Ettore Jimenez (farther from the center).

On the second tier, directly in front of the pronaos, in 1911, installed four triumphal columns with bronze statues of Victoria , standing on the ball; initially, these statues were gilded, the height of each, together with the ball is 3.7 m. From left to right, if you look at the facade of the monument, Victoria’s works by N. Kantalamess Papotti (with a palm branch and a snake), A. Apolloni (with a sword), M are located Rutelli and A. Zokki both hold laurel wreaths .

The statues on the frieze above the columns symbolize the sixteen Italian regions of the time. The creation of each statue, as a rule, was entrusted to the sculptor - a native of the relevant area. From left to right:

• Piedmont , which included Valle d'Aosta . A statue with a sword and a helmet crowned with an eagle, symbolizing the participation of the region in the wars of independence and in Risorgimento . The sculptor is Pierre Enrico Astorri.
• Lombardy A figure in the iron crown of the Lombard kings, drawing a sword from its sheath as a sign that Milan was both one of the centers of the Western Roman Empire and the capital of the Duchy of Milan . The sculptor is Emilio Bisi.
• Veneto . Corresponded to three modern areas: Venice , Trentino-Alto Adige and Friuli-Venezia Giulia . During the construction of the monument Trentino, Alto Adige and Venice-Julia were part of Austria-Hungary , and Friuli was divided between Austria-Hungary and Italy. The statue depicts the Doge and holds a shield with the lion of St. Mark and the scepter of the Most Serene Republic . It symbolizes the sea power of Venice and the merits of all of Northeastern Italy in the struggle for independence. The sculptor is Paolo Bartolini.
• Liguria The figure in the ducal crown, next to it - the ship's nose, symbolizing the sea power of Genoa , the enterprise and adventurism of the Genoese. Sculptor - Antonio Orazio Quinzio.
• Emilia , corresponding to the modern region of Emilia-Romagna . The figure in the Phrygian cap as a symbol of freedom, the inscription “Libertas” is made on its shield; holds books of laws and fascias, reminiscent of the oldest university in Bologna . Fasties are not related to fascism, which has not yet arisen during the construction of these statues. The sculptor is Mauro Benini.
• Tuscany A laurel figure associated with Dante Alighieri Florentine. The torch in her hand symbolizes the Tuscan culture, which from the XV century. carried light to all of Europe. On the shield is the Florentine lion "marzokko". The sculptor is Italo Grieselli.
• Marche . In his left hand, the figure holds a lyre, reminiscent of numerous figures of art - people from this area, and his right hand rests on the ship's steering wheel in honor of the sailors of Ancona . Sculptor - Giuseppe Tonnini.
• Umbria A statue in a veil on the head and with a pater in his hand, which produces a libation; recalls the great saints from this area - Francis of Assisi , St. Clara and St. Benedict . The sculptor is Elmo Palazzi.
• Lazio . The figure of Victoria in the hand of this figure symbolizes the responsibility of this area, where Rome is located, for the preservation and protection of the unity of Italy conquered during the Risorgimento. Sculptor - Adolfo Pantaresi.
• Abruzzi-e-Molise . This area is now divided into two regions - Abruzzi and Molise . A figure in the lion's skin, covering the head, with an oak branch in his left hand and a walking stick in his right, symbolizing the severity of the mountains, the strong and noble character of their inhabitants and the ancient customs of transhumance. The sculptor - Silvio Snrikoli.
• Campaign A figure with a cornucopia full of fruit, which symbolizes the fertility of the soil of this province and its mild climate, recalling its ancient name "Happy Campaign". The sculptor is Gaetano Chiaromonte.
• Apulia . A figure in a similar dress, with flowing hair, with a bunch of grapes in one hand and leaning with the other on a plow, symbolizing the fertility of the Apulian lowland. The sculptor is Francesco Pifferetti.
• Lucania , now called Basilicata . A figure in a toga, with a dream and a staff, symbolizing the ancient culture of this land, strong and seasoned character of the Lukans. The sculptor is Luigi Casadio.
• Calabria The figure, dressed in the skin of a wild animal, with the sword and shield of the goddess Athena, symbolizes both the ancient culture of these places inhabited by Greeks and the harsh nature of the mountains and forests. The sculptor is Giuseppe Nicolini.
• Sicily A figure with a bread sheaf and a shield, which depicts the ancient symbol of the island - Trinacria . The sculptor is Michele Tripiscano.
• Sardinia . A statue with a scepter and a crown, reminding that the unification of Italy began the Sardinian kingdom ; she holds the crown in her hand, as the Italian was born out of the Sardinian kingdom. Sculptor - Luigi Belly.

1. Vittoriano was destroyed by lightning in the film " Earth Core: Throw Hell ."
2. A significant part of the events of Peter Greenaway’s The Architect 's Belly , 1987, took place in this building.

Monument to Victor Emmanuel II in Milan

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