Palazzo Boncompagni
Located on Via del Monte, not far from Via dell'Indipendenza, Palazzo Boncompagni stands in a network of streets that once represented the heart of the city's ecclesiastical activity. The name of the street itself brings to mind Monte di Pietà, but this area is also home to the Archbishop's Palace, the Bologna Cathedral named after St Peter and the Seminary Palace, which now houses a luxury hotel.
The palace itself is closely linked to the pontifical history of Bologna: Pope Gregory XIII, born Ugo Boncompagni, lived here.
The Boncompagni Palace and its architect
The construction of Palazzo Boncompagni dates back to 1537, the year in which the father of the future Pope, Cristoforo Boncompagni, entrusted the work to the
architect Jacopo Barozzi, known as the Vignola. The first commissioner of the project was Baldassarre Tommaso Peruzzi, but he had died a year earlier.
Vignola - so called because of his city of origin - was
one of the most famous mannerist architects in the country. He was very active in Bologna but also in Rome and in both places he created buildings of great virtuosity, characterised by incredible and futuristic interior staircases. Vignola's work was also a compendium in which he collected and defined for the first time all hitherto known architectural orders, which he attempted to catalogue in detail.
The design of Palazzo Boncompagni also bears the 'signature' of its author: inside the building there is in fact a
wonderful helicoidal staircase. The papal coat of arms of Pope Gregory XIII still stands out on the façade.
Pope Gregory XIII, or Ugo Boncompagni
Although not of noble origins, the Boncompagni family became wealthy through trade. This is how the young Ugo was able to study at the University of Bologna, and equip himself with a high-level legal education. With this calling card he arrived in Rome, where he managed to get into the good graces of the Pope and stand out as an orator at the Council of Trent.
The period following the
Council of Trent, which ended in 1563, was full of great changes for the Catholic Church. When Ugo Boncompagni became Pope in 1572, he had to deal with the demands made by the Protestant Reformation. In addition to settling these conflicts, Pope Gregory XIII is also remembered for introducing the
Gregorian Calendar, which he took his name from, a calendar that is still in use today and became necessary because the old calendar no longer coincided with astronomical time.
Finally, on the occasion of the Jubilee of 1575, Gregory XIII had a famous map painted inside one of the apostolic palaces in memory of his city, Bologna, characterised by a peculiarity. His birth house, as well as all religious buildings in the city, were depicted with a golden roof. His papacy ended in 1583.
