The Patriarchal Palace, in Venice, is the seat of the diocesan curia of the Patriarchate of Venice. It stands in Piazza San Marco, next to the St. Mark's basilica, and overlooks the Piazzetta dei Leoncini.
Originally the building, together with the basilica, was part of the
Palazzo Ducale complex. The palace, connected to the Doge's apartments
via a hanging passage behind the apses of the basilica, was built in the
early 17th century by Monopola to house a new banquet hall, intended for
receptions by the Serenissima Signoria and the Senate.
After the
fall of the Republic of Venice and the suppression of the ducal church
of San Marco as an autonomous nullius diocese and with the transfer of
the patriarchal chair to the St. Mark's basilica in 1807, the building
was identified as the new seat of the curia. The adaptation works,
started in 1837 on a project by Lorenzo Santi (1783-1839), already
allowed the transfer of the curial offices in 1840, to then be completed
in 1870, with the inauguration of the new facade.
Over the centuries Venice, before the definitive transfer of the curia to San Marco, was the seat of two other Patriarchal Palaces.
The original building was located in Rialto, with the church of San
Silvestro attached. From 1105 it was the Venetian residence and then the
official seat of the Patriarchs of Grado, until the latter title was
suppressed in 1451. The palace is portrayed in the Miracle of the Cross
at Rialto by Vittore Carpaccio.
The patriarchal palace of
Castello
After 1451, with the transfer of the patriarchal dignity to
the bishop of Castello, his ancient palace next to the cathedral of San
Pietro di Castello became the patriarchìo. The seat was abandoned in
favor of the new one in San Marco and the ancient palace soon fell into
ruin.