Palazzo Massimo di Pirro, Renaissance palace in Parione district, Rome, Italy.
Palazzo Massimo di Pirro is a Renaissance palace in the Parione district located along Corso Vittorio Emanuele II with a symmetrical layout, central courtyard, and multiple stories. The facade displays classical architectural details and carved stone decorations that give the building its distinctive appearance.
The palace was burned by Landsknecht troops during the 1527 sack of Rome. In 1532 Angelo Massimo commissioned its reconstruction from Giovanni Mangone, a pupil of Antonio da Sangallo the Younger. In 1874 Carlo Alberto Camillo X Massimo joined Palazzo di Pirro to the adjoining Palazzo alle Colonne.
The palace takes its name from a colossal statue of Mars found during its construction, thought to depict Pyrrhus, king of Epirus, because its armour was decorated with elephants. Sold in 1738 to Pope Clement XII, the statue is now in the Capitoline Museums.
The palace stands at numbers 145/151 of Corso Vittorio Emanuele II in the Parione district, sharing the block with the Palazzo Massimo alle Colonne and the Palazzo Massimo istoriato. In 1874 Carlo Alberto Camillo X Massimo joined the Palazzo di Pirro to the Palazzo alle Colonne, so the two are now one connected complex.
The name of the palazzo comes from a statue of Mars discovered during construction that was mistakenly identified as King Pyrrhus of ancient Epirus. This misidentification led to the building being named after this ancient figure, a name it has retained to this day.
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