Palazzo Colonna Gallery and its Garden in Rome

The Grand Gallery of the Colonna Palace in Rome

The Grand Gallery The Colonna Palace is one of the most beautiful palaces in Rome.

This is because it houses a formidable display of riches, marble, paintings and sculptures that belonged to one of the largest and most famous Roman families.

The first palace, built in 1417 by Othon Colonna (who became Pope Martin V) with the exterior appearance of a fortified castle, was then rebuilt by Philippe Colonna in 1620.

In restoring this family palace in the mid-17th century, the family wanted both to honour the great victory of Lepanto and to recall its former prestige.

It was in this spirit that the Gallery was added, reusing the ancient marbles of the Villa Colonna, which themselves came from the Temple of the Sun that stood in the 3rd century AD in the palace gardens, where some remains can still be seen.

The Collections and the Grand Gallery

The Grand Gallery The Gallery, the Great Hall of the Colonna Palace, monumental due to its high ceiling, is absolutely grandiose with its display of gold and artistic masterpieces, paintings, sculptures and chandeliers, all crowned by the fresco covering its entire vaulted ceiling depicting the famous battle and victory of Lepanto.

Walking through it, one is transported by so much beauty and harmony; the Gallery alone is worth a visit to the Colonna Palace. The collections of paintings illustrate the Colonna family's qualities as enlightened art lovers, a talent that has been passed down from generation to generation.

The greatest painters are represented here:

Bronzino, Vivarini, Tintoretto, Jan Brueghel the Elder, Palma the Elder, and Van Wittel, Canaletto's spiritual father, with his views of Venice and Rome.

Princess Isabella's apartments at the Colonna in Rome

Princess's apartment But the treasures you will find here do not end there.

First of all, it is important to note that the Colonna family's collections have remained intact to this day thanks to an 18th century trust agreement, under which all the palace's movable and immovable property was considered indivisible.

This means that for centuries, the furniture, including tables, chairs, mirrors, paintings, sculptures, light fixtures, etc., was considered an integral part of the walls and therefore could not be sold or moved.

It is therefore thanks to this trust that we can not only admire all these artistic masterpieces, but also see them displayed according to the Colonna family's choice, in a palace as it was originally, with the pleasure of walking through and admiring the salons and rooms of the palace, imagining the life of the family who lived there.

The Apartments of Princess Isabella and Michelangelo's Garden

The apartments of Princess Isabelle at the Colonna in Rome

Apartment of Princess Isabelle Princess Isabella Colonna's apartments are quite moving, featuring several photographs, including one of Queen Elizabeth II of England, who never failed to visit Princess Colonna during her visits to Rome.

By choosing to visit Princess Isabella's apartments, you can enter this elegant salon, which has remained unchanged, and admire it.

This option also allows you to visit the magnificent garden that adds charm to this majestic palace.

Petrarch strolled in this garden, as did Michelangelo in the company of his muse and friend Vittoria Colonna.

The Gardens of the Colonna Palace in Rome

Gardens of the Colonna Palace Created by the Colonna family in the 13th century, the garden is located on a site that still features remains from Roman antiquity, including the ruins of a grandiose 3rd-century temple, the Temple of the Sun, which was later dedicated to Serapis and then to Septimius Severus, and finally to Hercules and Dionysus.

In 1710, the bridge connecting it to the palace was built, as well as the small square with its three statues, including that of Marcantonio Colonna II, the victor of the Battle of Lepanto.

Along its paths, you will discover ancient statues and three Roman sarcophagi from the 3rd century AD, as well as fragments of the Temple of the Sun, surrounded by magnolias, boxwoods, laurels, holm oaks and orange trees.

You will then climb the steps that run alongside the beautiful fountain, whose waters flow down from the top of the hill, to admire the exceptional view of Rome from this garden, from the Vittoriano monument to the dome of St. Peter's Basilica.

Nine Centuries of Colonna Family History

The Grand Gallery of the Colonna Palace The Colonna family is very old: it dates back to the 11th century with its first ancestor Pietro, originally from the village of Colonna in the Roman countryside, hence the family name.

There have been 31 generations of Colonnas to date, with the main branch of the family settling in Rome in the early 13th century.

Cardinals, military leaders, senators, popes... the Colonna family became increasingly important in Roman life.

There is even a saint, Blessed Margaret (1255-1280), a disciple of Saint Francis and beatified by Pope Pius IX.

The apartments of Princess Isabella at the Colonna in Rome

Princess Isabella's apartment The family's religious involvement culminated in the 15th century with the appointment of Pope Martin V, Othon Colonna.

He was a particularly important pope, as he was responsible for the reunification of the Church after the Avignon exile and the Western Schism, enabling him to bring the Apostolic See back to Rome.

But with influence came enemies, and nearly two centuries of constant and bloody conflict ensued, during which the Colonna family opposed the Orsini family.

A very powerful family, to which Clarice Orsini (1453-1488), wife of Lorenzo the Magnificent de Medici, belonged.

Princess Isabella's apartment The conflict of interest between the two families was finally settled in 1511 by Pope Julius II with a peace treaty known as the “Pax Romana”.

This peace was definitively sealed by the marriage of Marcantonio II Colonna and Félice Orsini in 1552.

Marcantonio II Colonna was the famous commander of the Christian fleet that won the Battle of Lepanto against the Turks in 1571.

As a reward for this victory, he was appointed Viceroy of Sicily by King Philip II of Spain.

His parents were Ascanio Colonna and Giovanna of Aragon, the niece of King Ferdinand I of Naples.

The Grand Gallery of the Colonna Palace He then served Emperor Charles V, so much so that when Charles V's soldiers sacked Rome in 1527, the Colonna Palace was spared!

However, this impunity was also used to protect more than 3,000 Romans during the war, including several prelates and Isabella d''Este.

Muses and Protectors of the Arts

Marcantonio Colonna II's aunt, Vittoria Colonna, was the poetess who was Michelangelo's muse and friend. He depicted her in his fresco of the “Last Judgement” in the Sistine Chapel: she appears to the right of Cyrene.

The family's importance in the arts was also confirmed by Marcantonio II's daughter, Costanza Colonna, who married Marquis Francesco I Sforza di Caravaggio.

Costanza thus became the great patron of the painter Caravaggio, and her help was invaluable when he had to flee to Naples to escape his death sentence by the Pope.

Finally, to fully understand the artistic and political influence of this family, it should be noted that Maria Mancini Colonna (1639-1716) was the niece of Cardinal Mazarin.