Palazzo dei Convertendi, Renaissance palace in Borgo, Italy
Palazzo dei Convertendi is a reconstructed Renaissance palace on the north side of Via della Conciliazione, with its main facade facing south. It has three floors and is flanked by Palazzo Torlonia to the east, across Via dell'Erba, and by Palazzo Rusticucci-Accoramboni to the west. The original building, known as Palazzo Caprini and designed by Donato Bramante, is documented in a 1549 print by Antoine Lafréry and in drawings by Andrea Palladio and others.
The place was closely connected to the life of painter Raphael, who lived there until his death in 1520, and his memory is preserved by a marble plaque on the facade. Later, the building underwent reconstruction between 1936 and 1950 when it was moved from Piazza Scossacavalli to the north side of Via della Conciliazione.
The name comes from the Ospizio dei Convertendi, founded in 1600 by Pope Clement VIII for Protestants converting to Catholicism, which moved into the palace in 1715 under the pope's direct authority. From 1852 to 1854 the palace housed a seminary for English convert clergy that became the Beda College.
The building sits directly on the busy Via della Conciliazione, the main street leading to Saint Peter's Basilica, making it easy to reach on foot. The best time to visit is in the morning or late afternoon when foot traffic on this major street is lighter.
The original Palazzo Caprini is known only through prints and drawings, including a 1549 engraving by Antoine Lafréry, sketches by Andrea Palladio from around 1541, and a fresco by Antonio Tempesta and Matteo Brill in the Logge of Gregory XIII in the Vatican. No frescoes from the old building were carried over to the reconstructed palace.
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