Palazzo della Consulta, City palace in Monti district, Rome, Italy
Palazzo della Consulta is a two-storey city palace in the Monti district of Rome, whose baroque facade extends along Via del Quirinale. Tall windows with decorated tympanums articulate the outer wall, while robust pilasters emphasize the vertical structure and give the building its architectural order.
Pope Clement XII commissioned architect Ferdinando Fuga to erect the palace between 1732 and 1734 on the ruins of the Baths of Constantine. The building originally served as seat of the papal Consulta, an administrative body of the Papal States, before later assuming other institutional roles.
Sculptures above the main entrance represent Justice and Religion, both flanked by smaller figures supporting the papal coat of arms of the Corsini family. Winged shapes on the balustrade complete the iconographic programme of the facade, reflecting the spiritual and temporal authority of the original patron.
The building currently houses the Italian Constitutional Court, whose courtroom is located on the main floor and has been used for hearings since 1956. Visitors can view the facade from the public pavement, while access to the interior is only possible on certain occasions or by prior arrangement.
The ground beneath the palace proved unstable during construction, as the ancient thermal facilities in the subsoil caused cavities and water infiltration. Fuga therefore had to develop special foundation techniques to secure the building permanently and avoid settlement damage.
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