Priuli a San Severo Palace

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General remarks:

Description:

This building is a very good conserved example of a early gothic palazzo, which was certainly built before 1431 for the patrician Costantin Priuli. Marino Contarini, the owner of the famous Ca'd'Oro, charged his workers in 1431 to create the balconies of the Ca'd'Oro like those of palazzo Priuli a San Severo.
The water floor is opened by high rectangular windows. At the right side (at the Ponte del Diavolo), there is a water and a land gate, which has still a Priuli coat of arms and today serves as the hotel entrance. The the first piano nobile has arches of fourth order, the second has arches of fifth order. The capitals, especially those of the first piano nobile, are of an early, more archaic style.
The corner window solutions in the second piano nobile are characteristic for palazzo Priuli. The floors above the second one rest only on small columns. Especially the singular left window with pending capitals is remarkable. Similar corner solutions can be found on other gothic palaces in Venice, too.
The building has a L-type plan with the courtyard is being arranged behind the right wing and having an immense, but slightly dilapidated gothic gate at the back façade as the main entrance. It's necessary to mention the very good conserved open staircase in the courtyard (no public access!). It leads over two stages to the second piano nobile. Today, brick walls support the great arches. The technical literature sometimes has detail photos of the interesting stone sculpture at the first stage. Also the gothic cistern head-piece (vera di pozzo) is a characteristic example of the epoch.
Interior decoration is not conserved. According to information of a person who lives in the palace, it was restored in 1995. Some postcards or calendars still show the state of the rear façade before the restoration. As Tassini supposes, Palazzo Priuli was once decorated with external frescoes by Veronese.
Parts of the first piano nobile of the palace recently shared the fate of other buildings and were converted to a hotel.

Additional pictures:

Second floor corner window with pending capital
Detail of the second floor (2004)

Related buildings

Literature

© 1999-2007 J.-Ch. Rößler
Venice architecture - palaces