Palazzo della Ragione, Milan
| Palazzo della Ragione | |
|---|---|
Palazzo della Ragione.
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| General information | |
| Town or city | Milan |
| Country | Italy |
| Construction started | 1228 |
| Client | Podestà Aliprando Faba |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Vincenzo Seregni |
Coordinates: 45°27′53.54″N 9°11′16.16″E / 45.4648722°N 9.1878222°E
The Palazzo della Ragione ("Palace of Reason") is a historic building of Milan, Italy, located in Piazza Mercanti, facing the Loggia degli Osii. It was built in 13th century and originally served as a broletto (i.e., an administrative building) as well as a judicial seat. As it was the second broletto to be built in Milan, it is also known as the Broletto Nuovo ("new broletto").
The palace is decorated with a relief representing Oldrado da Tresseno (podestà of Milan and fierce prosecutor of the Cathar heretics), and the bas relief of the scrofa semilanuta ("half-woolly sow"), which has been object of much controversy among scholars of the foundation and origins of Milan.
The building was constructed between 1228 and 1233 for podestà Oldrado da Tresseno. It maintained a central role in the administrative and public life of Milan until the late 18th century. In 1773, under Empress Maria Theresa, it was restored and enlarged, to serve as legal archives. The structural changes were designed by architect Francesco Croce, who added a new upper floor with large round windows and restyled the whole building based on Neoclassic canons. Other major modifications of the buildings were done in 1854 by architect Enrico Terzaghi; these included glass panes that closed the ground floor ambulatory, which was reopened between 1905 and 1907.
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