Ca' Zenobio degli Armeni is a palace in Venice, located in the Dorsoduro district, on the Soccorso foundations, in the stretch between Campo dei Carmini and Campo San Sebastian, a few steps from Palazzo Ariani (to which it is connected via the Soccorso bridge) and Palazzo Foscarini (via the Foscarini bridge).
Project carried out between the 17th and 18th centuries by Antonio
Gaspari (pupil of the better known architect Baldassarre Longhena), the
current Ca' Zenobio was built starting from a pre-existing Gothic
building, already home since 1664 to the Zenobio noble family of
Veronese origin , for which the building was designed and to which they
gave their name.
In the mid-nineteenth century, when the family died
out and several owners passed, including the Albrizzis, it became the
seat of the Armenian Mekhitarists of Venice, to whom we owe the second
part of the name.
In the early twentieth century, the structure
benefited from a restoration by the Venetian architect Vincenzo Rinaldo.
Currently still owned by the Armenians, the palace is often partially
rented to host exhibitions, concerts or receptions.
The sumptuous
baroque halls of the building have been the setting for famous music
videos: in 1984 the video for Madonna's Like a Virgin was shot there, in
2004 the video for Vivimi by Laura Pausini.
Exteriors
Ca' Zenobio is a Baroque building, with an important
facade that extends over the river that connects the Carmini Church to
the Angelo Raffaele Church. This facade, on three levels plus a
mezzanine of the attic respecting a rigorous symmetry, is characterized
by the length and the many openings: 46 single-lancet windows, to which
are added three entrances on the ground floor and the opening of the
central part of the two main floors; on the first noble floor there is a
serliana with a mask, while on the second floor three rectangular
openings are inscribed in a stone frame terminated by a large tympanum
occupying the height of the mezzanine.
A large rear garden
borders the Carmini complex: this space is consistent with the U-shaped
structure of the building, due to two arms that extend from the sides of
the main block of the building, one of which still houses the library.
On the facade overlooking the garden there are two serliane, placed in
the highest central part, culminating in a pediment.
Interior
At least some of the numerous and rich parts should be mentioned:
Sala degli Specchi: it is the most important room in the building, with
frescoes by Louis Dorigny (also author of the Ca' Tron frescoes in
Venice), on which the first Giambattista Tiepolo also put his hand;
Sala degli Stucchi, the latter frescoed by Gregorio Lazzarini and
embellished with paintings by Luca Carlevarijs.
Chapel: a small
religious building, originally the private chapel of the Zenobios, is
housed within the walls of the building, retaining much of the original
eighteenth-century layout.