Archiginnasio
The Palazzo dell'Archiginnasio was designed by the Bolognese architect Antonio Morandi known as Terribilia and built in 1563. One of the most visited attractions in Bologna, the Archiginnasio was originally intended to sanction the control of the Pope over the city. Pope Pius IV himself ordered the construction of the building and of the Neptune Fountain too.
Yet, the building of the Archiginnasio seems to have had another purpose. It is no coincidence that it stands right next to the Basilica of San Petronio, on which the architect Arduino degli Arriguzzi was working at the time. According to his project, the basilica was to become bigger than St. Peter's in Rome: the story goes that the Archiginnasio Palace was completed in a very short time precisely to prevent the basilica building site from being completed.
The internal courtyard
The Archiginnasio was immediately used as the sole
seat of the Bolognese university. All the 'faculties' of the time, which until then had been scattered throughout the city, especially within the monastic complexes, were thus gathered in its halls.
What is striking upon entering the building's inner courtyard are the numerous
coats of arms frescoed on the walls, which belonged to the families of the students of the Bolognese university, placed under the portico in memory of their studies. Opposite the entrance, however, these coats of arms disappear. This part of the portico was unfortunately destroyed during a bombing raid in 1944, and later rebuilt.
At opposite ends of the entrance portico are two large staircases, which lead to the two wings of the palace. The right-hand staircase led to
the legists' wing, the law students, while the left one led to
the artists' wing, which at the time included all other subjects.
Fun fact: it was here, in the inner courtyard of the Archiginnasio, that the
teriaca was prepared until a few centuries ago, a medicine made from many different plants and believed to be miraculous.
The Anatomical Theatre and the other rooms on the first floor
The pride and joy of the Archiginnasio is undoubtedly the
Anatomical Theatre.This large amphitheatre-hall is covered with wonderful wooden decorations depicting the doctors of antiquity, such as Galen and Hippocrates. Inside,
anatomy lessons were held, right on the marble table still placed in the centre of the room today. Here, the lecturer performed autopsies surrounded by his assistants, under the supervision of a member of the city Inquisition who observed the teaching activities from a hidden window.
The statues that most strike the observer are those of the
Spellati or Scuoiati, so called because they represent two human bodies without skin. Made by Ercole Lelli in 1734, the statues stand on the professor's desk, and their anatomy is so accurate that they were studied during lessons.
The Spellati support the throne on which the allegory of Anatomy is seated, flanked by a putto who is honouring her with a femur.
In addition to the Teatro Anatomico, the same floor hosts the Archiginnasio Library, which is still functioning today, as well as the Stabat Mater Room, originally the Aula Magna of the legists, named after Rossini's concert which was first performed in Italy in this very room.
In 1803, the seat of the University of Bologna was moved to Via Zamboni, where it still resides today. During the Napoleonic era, the need arose to abandon the places that symbolised papal power, and so the Archiginnasio gradually assumed other roles until its current layout.
