So far as any single place could claim the honour of being the seat of the scientific revolution, the distinction must belong to Padua.
- Herbert Butterfield, The Origin of Modern Science (1962)
According to the legend, the city of Padova (Padua in English) was founded 1132 years before Christ by one Antenor, a prince of Troy who escaped the destruction of his city. But this is merely a legend, told by Titus Livius in order to reinforce the ties between Rome and his city, then known as Patavium; the people of Padua were so enthusiastic about the story that when an ancient sarcophagus was found in the city in 1274, officials immediately annouced it was the tomb of Antenor.
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| The supposed "tomb of Antenor" |
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| Ruins of the Roman arena in Padova |
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| Roman arena and sculpture garden |
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| Roman mosaics now in the Museo Eremitani |
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| Roman glassware from a necropolis on the site of the train station |
More than a hundred ancient Roman mosaic floors have been uncovered around the city, some of which are now on display in the Museo Eremitani, adjacent to the Scrovegni Chapel.
Padua was gradually assimilated into the Roman republic, and by the end of the first century A.D. it was the wealthiest city in Italy, other than Rome itself. With a population of around 40,000, the city was renowned for its strict morality and discipline.
Sacked by Attila the Hun in the year 450, the city fell under the control of the Goths, and then of the Lombards. In the eleventh century the city of Padua established a constitution and a legislative assembly; the university was opened in 1222, and construction of the basilica dedicated to Saint Anthony also began in the thirteenth century. Padua came under the rule of the Republic of Venice in 1405, largely remaining under its control until the fall of the republic in 1797.
The Scrovegni Chapel
On February 6, 1300, wealthy banker Enrico Scrovegni acquired the area of the former Roman amphitheatre and began construction of a chapel dedicated to the Madonna, annexed to the Scrovegni palace. Enrico wished to celebrate the family name by offering a prestigious tribute to the Madonna of Charity.
The new property would be constructed, as recorded in the 1317 act of endowment, "for the honour and advantage of the city and the Comune, and in homage to its soul and to its forefathers". Scrovegni also wished to re-establish a site that had formerly witnessed pagan games as a seat of Christian rites, and he intended that the church "Sancte Marie de Caritate de I'Arena de Padova" would contain his mortal remains, as well as those of his family. On March 25, 1303, the chapel was consecrated; Giotto, the greatest painter of the time, executed the paintings between 1303 and 1305. Giovanni Pisano sculpted the Madonna and two candle-bearing angels on the altar. Giotto also produced a cruxifixion for the church, now held in the Eremitani Museum.
Visiting the Scrovegni Chapel is quite a process. First, you have to book tickets online at least the day before, if you want to be sure of a spot. Then you have to get there half an hour in advance of your booked viewing time, and deposit your bag in a locker. Then you wait outside. At exactly the scheduled time, the doors open and everyone enters together, only to wait another fifteen minutes in an antechamber, so that the microclimate in the chapel can be stabilised again following the opening of the doors. During this time you watch a video about the frescoes in the chapel and their conservation. Then you finally get your allotted your precious fifteen minutes in the chapel.
Palazzo della Ragione
After completing the process of visiting the chapel and the museum, I moved on to the Palazzo della Ragione, the impressive medieval market hall, town hall and palace of justice built between 1172 and 1219. The upper floor was dedicated to the administration of the town and of justice, while the ground floor hosted, and still hosts, the historical covered market of Padua - a great place to grab some lunch!
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| Palazzo della Ragione |
The great hall on the upper floor is one of the largest medieval halls still in existence. The rectangular hall measures 81.5 metres long and 27 metres wide, with a height of 24 metres; the walls are covered with allegorical frescoes, originally by Giotto, though these were tragically lost in the fire of 1420, after which they were repainted by Nicolo' Miretto and Stefano da Ferrara. The gigantic wooden horse on the western side of the hall was built in 1466 and is modelled on Donatello's equestrian statue of Gattamelata, which stands in front of the Saint Anthony's Basilica, and is unfortunately covered in scaffolding at the moment.
The building stands on arches, and the upper storey is flanked by an open loggia, not unlike that which surrounds the Basilica Palladiana in Vicenza, which was in fact inspired by Padova's Palazzo della Ragione.
The University of Padova
While in the neighbourhood I decided to join a guided tour of the historic seat of the University of Padova, Palazzo Bo. Founded in 1222, the University of Padova is the second-oldest in Italy, after the University of Bologna, of which it was an offshoot. Its graduates include Nicolaus Copernicus, and Galileo Galilei taught and conducted research there for eighteen years, berween 1592 and 1610; the podium from which he gave his lectures is preserved outside the Aula Magna, as is his fifth vertebra (nabbed from his skeleton by an over-zealous student).
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| The Aula Magna where Galileo gave his lectures |
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| ...redecorated by Gio Ponti in the 1930s |
The university's anatomical theatre, built in 1595, is the oldest in Europe, and drew artists and scientists to study the human body during public dissections. During the tour we had an opportunity to view it from below, i.e. from the point of view of the corpse being dissected 😬
On 25 June 1678, Venetian noblewoman and mathematician Elena Lucrezia Cornaro Piscopia became the first woman to graduate from university. A true genius, she enrolled in practically all the university's programmes of study at the time, as well as studying seven languages. She wanted a degree in Theology, but the bishop of Padova wouldn't allow it, so she was awarded the degree of Doctor of Philosophy instead. Unfortunately, she died of tuberculosis only six years after graduating.
Saint Anthony's Basilica
Moving on from science to popular religion, my next stop was the Basilica of Saint Anthony, a place of pilgrimage for people from many different nations. For a very brief summary of the saint's life, see yesterday's post. The Basilica is of interest as a place of popular devotion, and is set up as a sort of pilgrimage journey in itself; once you complete the rounds of all the stations, you can go to a special office and get a certificate. But my pilgrimage journey doesn't end here; I am directed to Rome, and so I contented myself with the Basilica's stamp on my pilgrim credential.
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| The mausoleum of the saint |
In terms of artistic interest, it is much more interesting to visit the adjacent Oratorio di San Giorgio, built in 1377, with frescoes by Altichiero da Zevio.
Thus refreshed, I summoned up the energy to visit the massive basilica of the Abbey of Santa Giustina, with its notable Corridor of the Martyrs.
No visit to any city is complete without going to the cathedral, and so I made this last stop on my tour of Padova. The cathedral baptistery is covered with frescoes painted by Giusto de' Menabuoi in 1375-76. I visited this first, then went into the cathedral to obtain a stamp for my pilgrim credential. It's on a new page, and it will be the first stamp for my point of departure when I continue the Via Romea Germanica after the summer!
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| Caffè Pedrocchi |
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| Cheers! |
Have loved walking this section with you. Hopefully we will be there next year. Currently we are In Hasselfelde.
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