Coordinates: 44°49′58″N 11°37′18″E

Palazzo Paradiso
The Palazzo Paradiso is a Renaissance palace located on Via Scienze #17 in the
medieval center of Ferrara, region of Emilia-Romagna, Italy. Adjacent to the
historic Jewish ghetto of Ferrara, it houses:

Anatomical Theater of Ferrara

Sala Ariosto—mausoleum of the writer Ludovico Ariosto
Biblioteca Comunale Ariostea—a historical library and archive of
Ferrara

Contents Palazzo Paradiso

History
Anatomical Theater
Sala Ariosto
Biblioteca Ariostea
References
External links

History
The palace was erected in 1391 by Alberto V d'Este on the occasion of his marriage with Giovanna de Roberti. Like a number of
other Quattrocento palaces, such as the Schifanoia and the Belfiore, the building was frescoed by Antonio Alberti, here depicting
scenes of courtly life and romances. He also painted a large fresco, now destroyed, of Paradise for the 1437–38 ecumenical
council, during which the palace housed the emperor of Constantinople (John VIII Palaiologos) and Pope Eugene IV. Of the
former three loggias of the palace, only one remains.

In the 15th century, the palace had only one floor. In 1567, the dukes converted the building to house university offices, and a
second floor was added by Giovanni Battista Aleotti, who also relocated the facade to the via delle Scienze, where the portal was
surmounted by a small clock tower, designed (1610) by Alessandro Balbi and Aleotti.

Anatomical Theater
In 1731, the anatomist Giacinto Agnelli and the architect Francesco Mazzarelli constructed the still existing anatomical theatre.
The shape echoes elements of the theaters in Padua (1594) and the Archiginnasio of Bologna (1636). The room is octagonal and
illuminated by four large windows. Separate entrances allow for the entry of students, teachers, and cadavers. In 1831, the
medical faculty moved to the Arcispedale Santa Anna, and the theater was relegated to chemistry lessons.

Sala Ariosto
In 1801, the relics of Ludovico Ariosto were moved from the then-deconsecrated church of San Benedetto to a refurbished
mausoleum within the palace, commissioned by a grandson of the poet and designed by Aleotti, which is now called the Sala
Ariosto.[1]
The grand staircase in the building was designed by Foschini.[2] The ceiling of the Sala Ariosto is frescoed, and in the cornice
medallions depict the founders of the library. On a niche with polychrome marble rise four columns and an alabaster bust of the
poet. Surmounted by garlands of fruit, the monument is flanked by statues of Poetry and Fame.[3]

Biblioteca Ariostea
The library, founded in 1750[4] and refurbished in 1801, according to a plaque in the reading room,[5] is dedicated to manuscripts
and publications related to local writers such as Ariosto, Tasso, Monti, Govoni, Caretti, and Quilici. The collection has nearly
400,000 objects. The restored reading room is now dedicated to the bibliophile Giovanni Maria Riminaldi.[6][7]

References
1. Ferrara Terra e Acqua (http://www.ferraraterraeacqua.it/it/ferrara/scopri-il-territorio/arte-e-cultura/ville-dimore-teatr
i-storici/palazzo-paradiso-biblioteca-ariostea) Palazzo Paradiso and Biblioteca Ariostea entries.
2. Guida artistica di Ferrara e dintorni (https://books.google.com/books?id=M-ZGAQAAMAAJ), by G. G. Reggiani
(1908), page 42.
3. Ferrara Terra e Acqua (http://www.ferraraterraeacqua.it/it/ferrara/scopri-il-territorio/arte-e-cultura/ville-dimore-teatr
i-storici/palazzo-paradiso-biblioteca-ariostea/sala-ariosto) Sala Ariosto entry.
4. Pitture e Scolture che si trovano nelle Chiese della Citta di Ferrara (https://books.google.com/books?id=VcI-AAA
AcAAJ), by Cesare Barotti, page 194.
5. Restauro dell'Antica Sala di lettura (http://archibiblio.comune.fe.it/634/restauro-dell-antica-sala-di-lettura).
6. Ferrara Terra e Acqua (http://www.ferraraterraeacqua.it/it/ferrara/scopri-il-territorio/arte-e-cultura/biblioteche-storic
he/biblioteca-ariostea-1), entry on Biblioteca Ariostea.
7. Biblioteca Comunale Ariostea (http://archibiblio.comune.fe.it/1388/la-biblioteca) official site.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Palazzo_Paradiso&oldid=797991066"

This page was last edited on 30 August 2017, at 10:07 (UTC).

Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using
this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia
Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.