Via Santa Maria Antica 4. €1. Tue-Sun from 10:00 to 13:00 and from
15:00 to 18:00
The Scaliger Arches or Scaliger Tombs, located in
the heart of the historic center of Verona, next to the church of Santa
Maria Antica and a few meters from Piazza della
Signori, is a monumental sepulchral complex in the Gothic style of
the Scaliger family, designed to contain the arch (or tomb) of some
prominent representatives families, including the greatest lord of
Verona, Cangrande, to whom Dante dedicated Paradiso. The French
historian Georges Duby, in his book Medieval Europe, defined the arks as
"one of the most famous and significant monuments of Gothic art."
Probably already from the 12th century, or at least from the 13th
century, the cemetery of the church of Santa Maria Antica became the
burial place of all branches of the Scaliger family; the first real
tombstone created was that of Mastino I della Scala, who died in 1277,
from which, however, only a sarcophagus remained, characterized by an
archaic "Ravenna" form, typical of Scaligerian monumental tombs of the
most ancient period. This sarcophagus was originally supposed to be the
main element of the "wall tomb" protected by the aedicule, located from
the side entrance to the church of Santa Maria Antica, but the aedicule
itself was dismantled around the end of the 18th century. . At the
beginning of the fourteenth century, the construction of three more
sarcophagi followed: the sarcophagus of Albert I (died 1301), Bartolomeo
I (1304) and finally the sarcophagus of Alboino (1311). They, without an
aedicule and located along the outer wall of the church, next to the
Mastino I monument, were conceived as tombs for the whole family, which
should be built sequentially, and not for one person.
The most
famous of the lords of Verona, Cangrande I della Scala, died in 1329,
probably already in the following year a tombstone was erected in his
honor over the side entrance to the church, partly different from what
it looks like today: a pyramid on the roof, crowned with equestrian
statue, and the sarcophagus with the reclining figure of a knight are
actually later additions. Instead, it seems that the original
sarcophagus that contained the remains of Cangrande was another that was
identified in a relief sarcophagus that is still in the enclosure of the
Scaligerian cemetery. The first version of the monument fits better into
the traditional locality, with a Romanesque aedicule characterized by a
cylindrical vaulted roof and round arches, later replaced by one with a
ribbed cruciform vaulted roof and three-lobed pointed arches; therefore
the second version in the Gothic style had precedent in the tomb of
Dussaini, located along the perimeter of the wall of the church of San
Pietro Martire, and in the ark of Castelbarco, located between the same
church and the Basilica of Santa Anastasia. The original sarcophagus,
which, as already mentioned, is still inside the cemetery, presents
figurative elements compared to the previous sarcophagi of the family,
while maintaining the shape of Ravenna: these elements in the relief
have characteristics that allow it to be identified as a work of
Romanesque sculpture with some Byzantine influences .
After the
conquest of the entire March of Trevigiana Cangrande, his successor
Mastino II further expanded the possessions of Verona, taking possession
of Brescia, Parma and Lucca, so the dominion of the Scaligers reached
its maximum territorial expansion. Given the vast power achieved,
Mastino II was able to strengthen his activities as a patron of the
arts: among the works he financed was the rebuilding of the cemetery of
Santa Maria Antica, which was to become an elegant Gothic complex, the
purpose of which was to glorify the Scala family. The project entrusted
to the so-called "master of Scaligerian arches" determined the
renovation of the tombstone of Cangrande, which thus took on the form
that characterizes it today, the construction of a cemetery fence topped
with statues, and the construction of an ark for Mastiff II himself. The
master solved the task set before him boldly, fusing in his work both
local and foreign iconographic and formal elements, borrowed, in
particular, from southern Germany, and updating the traditional locality
of the Romanesque tombs through the use of relief sculpture, figures in
round, gable pediments and tops.
The last of the monumental
arches built was that of Cansignorio: his reign, which ended with his
death in 1375, was characterized by crimes and conspiracies, but he also
wanted to leave in memory of himself a monumental tomb commissioned by
one of the most famous sculptor of the time, Bonino da Campione, who
began work in 1364, when the Veronese gentleman was still alive.
Cansignorio spent a considerable sum of ten thousand florins, receiving
in return an ark with the most elaborate and luxurious decorative
fixtures.
Around the end of the 16th century, the monument began
to have problems with its preservation, an issue that arose several
times over the following centuries and was therefore periodically
proposed to local politicians. The first restoration work on the Mastino
ark was carried out only in 1786, and starting in 1838, which was
prompted by the visit of Emperor Ferdinand I to the city, it was decided
to expand the intervention, covering the entire monumental complex.
Ark of Kangrande
The sarcophagus of Cangrande, placed above the
side entrance to the church of Santa Maria Antica, is supported by dogs
carrying his banner; the statue above shows him lying down and possibly
dead, but still smiling despite this. The front of the sarcophagus is
decorated with three high reliefs depicting the Pieta in the center, the
Virgin of the Annunciation on the left and the Annunciating Angel on the
right, the last two are surrounded by bas-relief panels depicting the
stories of the Prince of Verona.
On the panel in front of the ark
on the right you can see: Padua. Infantry from Padua and Verona in one
of the many battles that led to the victory at Cangrande; City of Padua
with the Basilica of Sant'Antonio, the podesta hall and tower and walls;
Vicenza. Cangrande on horseback in one of the battles that took place at
the gates of Vicenza; and finally the city of Vicenza with a palace and
a tower in the square and its fortifications.
On the front left
you can see: Belluno. Cangrande receives the keys from the
representatives of the city; The city of Belluno, with one of the towers
of the episcopal palace, the cathedral and tower of the castle, the
church of San Lorenzo and Santa Croce, besides the walls; Feltre.
Cangrande bends down to receive the keys from the city's
representatives; then the city of Feltre with a fortress and a very high
fortress.
On the tile on the reverse on the right are depicted:
Cangrande in front of Emperor Henry VII; Image of the city of Marostica;
Emperor Henry VII enthroned the banner of Verona, which delivered
Cangrande and Alboino; and the city of Verona, with its walled enclosure
containing the Arena and the Basilica of San Zeno, a hilly enclosure
built by Cangrande.
The panel on the back left shows: Padua.
Citizens present Cangrande city standard; View of Padua; Cangrande
receives the homage of the city of Treviso from new subjects who offer
him the keys; and finally, the exit of Cangrande's body from the gates
of Treviso after his death.
At the base of the sarcophagus is an
inscription by Rinaldo da Villafranca:
"Si Canis hic Grandis ingencia
facta peregit
Marchia Testis ades quam sevo Mars subegit
Scaligeram with honors domum super astra tulisset
Maiores in light
moras si parcha dedisset.
Hunc iuli geminata dies et undenata peremit
lam lapsis septem quater annis mille trecentis.
This was
translated into verse by Torello Saraina in 1542:
“If Cane Grande did
great things
Heads is the Brand with the furious Mars
enslaved by
him, he now possesses.
Above heaven would bring it
the house of
the Scaligers with its praises
if fate had given more life.
He
died in June on the twenty-second day
in the twenty-eighth year after
one thousand three hundred.
At the top of the tomb is a copy of
the equestrian statue of Cangrande, the original of which was found on
the path of the Castelvecchio Museum, where it was placed on a peculiar
pedestal by the famous Venetian architect Carlo Scarpa: considered the
most beautiful equestrian statue of the 14th century, a work attributed
to Giovanni di Rigino. Cangrande, depicted smiling and standing on a
horse, is described by John Ruskin in The Stones of Venice:
“(...) a mighty arched canopy is supported by two small protruding
columns, and on top of the roof there is a statue of a knight on a war
horse; his helmet, fitted with dragon wings and surmounted by a dog's
head draped over his shoulders, and a broad blazed cloth billowing back
from his horse's breast, are drawn by an ancient unknown artist with
such a commitment to reality that it seems to sway in the wind, and the
spear, seems to be swinging the rider, and his marble horse seems to
keep accelerating his stride to launch a faster and faster attack, while
the silvery clouds race after him in the sky.
Mastiff Ark II
The tombstone of Mastino II has a quadrangular base
and is characterized by the presence of four valuable high reliefs with
scenes of sacred history placed in the tympanums of a newsstand: the
Temptation of Adam and Eve, the Case of the Ancestors, the Murder of
Cain and, finally, the Mocking of Noah. So all references to the drama
of humanity are the result of sin.
The mastiff is depicted
resting on the lid of the sarcophagus, serene, in the serene sleep of
death, and below, on the same sarcophagus, he is depicted kneeling and
praying before the Virgin Mary, appealing to what is written on the same
stone. : "HIC TEGIT INSIGNUM TUMULUS MARCESCERE FLOREM / PROH DOLOR
ESTINCTUM CRUELI PRODICIONE / A SCALA CELSUM MASTINUM CUIUS IN ARCE /
SPIRITUS ETHEREA POTIATUR PACE PERHENNI".
Above the ark rises the
figure of a mastiff on a horse, enclosed in armor, about which the art
critic Mellini tells:
“Above, levitating like a mirage, the
faceless mediumistic image of the dead knight returns, contemptuously
hidden together with the animal in impenetrable armor, forming an almost
single monstrous body that casts a fiery gaze from the bearded crevices.
Symbolism, of course, is different from the cordiality that the
Cangrandesco monument breathes, where sacred and profane history are
still harmoniously connected; while here, it seems, the image of the
will to power prevails, which is justified by the inevitability of
violence and the formal observance of conventions.
Ark
Cansignorio
The funerary monument of Cansignorio was built according
to the design of Bonino da Campione, as evidenced by the inscription
confirming his merits: "Hoc opus sculpsit et fecit Boninus de Campolione
mediolanensis diocesis". It has a hexagonal plan, like the fence that
protects it, and in each corner there are Gothic columns supporting
aedicules in which six holy warriors find a place: Ludovico, Martino,
Sigismondo, Valentino, Giorgio and Luigi, King of France. Six other
columns support a red marble floor on which the lord's sarcophagus is
located, flanked by pairs of cherubs. Here is a Latin inscription
attributed to Cansignorio himself:
"Scaliger hac nitida cubo
Cansignorius arca
urbibus optatus latii sine monarca
ille ego sum
geminae qui gentis sceptra tenebam
iustitiaque meos mita pietatem
regebam
inclyta cui virtus qui pax tranquilla fidesque
inconcussa
dabunt phamam per secla diesque"
"Scaliger in this radiant cube
of Cansignorius, the ark desired by the cities, expanded without a
monarch."
This can be translated as "I, Cansignorio, rest in this
shining ark. I, who could be the monarch of many cities in Italy. I, who
of the two peoples (Veronese and Vicenza) in any case held the scepter
and ruled over them justly and mercifully. My value, supplemented by
love for the world and not separated from my faith, will give me glory
for centuries to come.
On the sarcophagus are carved the
coronation of Mary and Cansignorio, presented by San Giorgio to the
Virgin, as well as various stories taken from the Gospels: Jesus and the
Samaritan woman; Jesus resurrects Lazarus; Entrance to Jerusalem; Jesus
tempted; Jesus and the demoniac; and finally, The Multiplication of the
Loaves and Fishes. A further six columns support a canopy covering and
protecting the sarcophagus, characterized by polybolic pointed arches,
which in turn are surmounted by six tympanums bearing allegorical
figures representing the Virtues. Between the tympanums are small
aedicules containing angels holding shields engraved with the arms of
the Della Scala family. The structure ends with a hexagonal pyramidal
roof ending in a plinth on which the apostles are sculpted, a plinth
which in turn supports the equestrian statue of Cansignorio.