Giovine palace - Second half of 1700
PORTALS of the HISTORICAL CENTER of OSTUNI - Page 3 |
Feature from the homonimous essay published BY Schena (1995). Historical notes by Luigi Greco, paintings of Crocifisso Valente, sponsorship of the communal Administration of Ostuni |
Click on the numbers in the brackets, in order to see the paintings of C. Valente. The reading of the test is advised, in order to better appreciate text and images. |
| Looking back on it returns to the Cathedral Square of Liberty serves as a hinge between the old part of town, and the temporally closest to us. We have already mentioned the historical events occurred, which resulted in the creation of conditions for such a place. Behind the spire of St. Horace, at number 17 of the homonymous square, you can admire an eighteenth century building with a portal (46) inserted between two columns and window frames with triangular and arched gables. Is one of the few constructions that had been saved during the 1800's from transformation operations.At its shoulders insists the ancient village of Solaro (takes the name by the namesake bankers family settled down in Ostuni around the half of XVI century), whose first constructions get back to the last decades of the 1500's, with some trace of the 1700’s buildings such as the palaces of Melles and the Cellie one. Beyond that village the houses of an other village called Sant' Elena were grown, whose extension is defined in XVIII ‘s century documents. It covered the area between the convent of the Carmelitani fathers and the one of the Dominican fathers. Of the ancient palaces built there only one has left,is in Matteotti public square , 1764’s , civic number 16, with a noble coat of arms upon the portal. Of the ancient San Domenico public square, full of churches and palaces is not left anything. In the 1700's were present the church of Santa Maria di Loreto, the church of San Domenico with annexed convent and monastery, the Calvary with stone statues of the last years of the 1500's, various palaces. The one that nowadays is called Corso Cavour in the 1700's was called “the road of Foggia di Puzzovivo” and started from Saint Oronzo public square to San | |
Giovine palace - Second half of 1700 |
Domenico one. Various palaces now destroyed were found there. Few meters from the spire the facade of the 1600’s church of Spirito Santo to can be admired: it was the parish of the great village. On its left there’s via Roma once called Via dello Spirito Santo. Covering the street in all its length we can see many 1700’s palaces with notable portals. Particularly interesting are some buildings that can be seen along the narrow lanes that are intersected with via Roma. Just at the beginning of the gradient in an alley on the left (vico Mondello, 7) can be admired the portal (47) of the noble ostunese family Cavallo ,whose coat of arms is placed on the ornament. The building was built by Gaetano Morgese in 1777 and from a document we have learned that the master sculptor at the same time moved in various neighbouring city in order to direct jobs where they were contracted. Few steps afterfrom Cavallo Palace, in vico Raffaello Sanzio 24 , the Giovine building house with a baroque portal (47)with the family coat of arms. Other portals can be seen along Via Cesare Abba (47) to number civic 24 and dated 1788 and in via Giuseppe Cisaria (48) at 15 civic numbers - dwelling of the Trinchera, one of the most rinomate family in the within of the masters masons and 32. |  Trinchera palace - Second half of 1700 | |
In the vico Pietro Siciliani 5 an oteh rococo portal (49) of a noble family can be admired. An other portal (49) in via Roma 26, turns out particularly evocative and introduces the characteristic solution of being covered by a beautiful gallery. Along the same way can be admired other two 1700’s portals (50 - 51) at civic numbers 15 and 89 (this last one dated 1768). Instead, along via Imbriani there is the palace (52) reconstructed at the end of XVIII century by Giovanni Ayroldi, lawyer and for many times mayor of the city, victim of Sanfedisti revolt during the Partenopea Republic of 1799. The maindoor-gallery is one of the more interesting of the city. At civic number 131 gives on to the entrance-maindoor (53) of the one that was the dwelling of the masters masons of Bagnardi family built up in 1750.Few steps after we find Pugliese palace built up in the second half of XVIII century with the portal (53) in neoclassical style. In Carissimo square 43, we see the namesake palace (54) enlarged in 1744 by Giuseppe Morgese, probably the most interesting sculptor, head master and planner of the 1700's in Ostuni. Is up to him the realization of the collegiate church of San Martino in Martina Franca . Other rococo portal are present in via Giuditta Tavani Arquati, 1 (55) and in via Zanardelli, 18 (55). But of the other city portal an other deserves to be mentioned in particular way for being on of the highest manifestations of rococo art : we are referring to the portal (57) of the ancient monastery of San Francesco di Paola realized in the second half of XVIII century and covered by a gallery and a hanging bow with winged heads. The elegance of the facade and the reason of the decoration ar similar to the Morgese activity . We think we better stop now also because the scope of the present test is that one to offer a minimum historical information in order to well comprise and to frame that particular architectonic and sculptural phenomenon represented by the portals so that the same ones they could be known and made object of greater attentions and, if necessary, safeguarded from the risks of alterations and destructions too. The portals represent one of the higher testimonies offered by the masters sculptor and stone amson of Ostuni and constitute a patrimony to which we do not have to renounce. were the political vicissitudes tied to the French revolution that originally carried to treat in insufficient consideration the baroque art and the last season of the same one represents by rococò. In Italy a wa the liberal ruling class and the anticlerical culture that determined in the second half of the 1800's a political of refusal towards the baroque that nowadays tend instead revaluing and appreciating it. To us seemed right to render homage to the craftsmen of those long artistic moment with this work and we do not hide the hope to see held in greater consideration their works and to finally see remembered their names. |
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