Castello del Buonconsiglio monumenti e collezioni provinciali

The Magno Palazzo

This imposing 16th century edifice was commissioned by the Prince-Bishop Bernardo Cles and was built adjacent to the Castelvecchio in the span of a few years, beginning in 1528. Constructed against the medieval walls, that join it to the Torre Aquila, the Magno Palazzo is connected to the oldest part of the castle through a suspended passageway and then consists of four wings surrounding the Cortile dei Leoni. The spacious Loggia frescoed by Romanino is on the southern side. The decorative scheme of the sumptuous Prince-Bishop’s residence is quite complex and touches on all the then-fashionable subject matter in humanistic culture. Allegorical themes, moralization, examples of courage and virtue taken from ancient history and myths, genre scenes, and scenes from daily life all intermingling and blending in an admirable way. The imperial theme is prevalent among these, with images from Roman history, coats of arms and portraits of the Hapsburgs. Bernardo Cles, who was nominated cardinal in 1530, created a veritable self-exaltation in the Magno Palazzo with the scattering of coats of arms and emblems everywhere, but he also glorified the House of Austria, to which he knew he was always connected by ties of loyalty as Prince of the Empire.

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