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Bologna
Bologna (prov.) Emilia-Romagna Piazza Maggiore 6
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Papa Gregorio XIIIPope Gregory XIIIborn Ugo BoncompagniBologna 1502 - Rome 1585 Pope from 1572-1585, he is known as reformer of the calendar (Wikipedia) |
Alessandro Menganti
1580 |
Bronze statue of Pope Gregory XIII, sitting and blessing. The statue is placed on a console in a niche in the front façade of the Palazzo d'Accursio.
With the arrival of the Napoleonic troops, the Provisional Senate of Bologna, on 18 October 1796, decreed the removal of this statue. Some citizens proposed to modify it, so a bishop's mitria and a staff were made. In 1797, the statue with the new garment of San Petronius was placed again on its original spot, while the plaque that indicated its true identity was replaced with one with the text 'DIVUS PETRONIUS | PROTECTOR ET PATER'. So no one dared bear the slightest damage to the work of art. After the departure of the French, the people did not care to restore the original appearance, only after hundred years, in 1895, the statue lost its staff and mitra (now kept at the Risorgimento Museum). However, the plaque remained in its place and can still be read. Perhaps that is why many Bolognese people today believe that the statue represents Saint Petronius. The original plaque is kept in the Palazzo d'Accursio (cf. the statue of Paul V in Rimini).
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