Royal Palace of Turin, Italy : Palazzo Reale di Torino
- Alec Boreham
- Sep 20
- 2 min read
The Royal Palace of Turin was one of three residences that was owned by the House of Savoy, an ancient Royal household, founded in 1005 in the then Savoy region of France, that later expanded to reign over the Kingdom of Sardinia in North western Italy in 1720.
It was constructed on the site of the previous bishops palace during the reign of Emmanuel Philiburt, Duke of Savoy, who had moved his seat of power to Turin in 1562.
It’s reconstruction and renovation in 1645 was motivated by Regent Christine Marie as a residence for her Son. The architect for this renovation was led by Ascanio Vitozzi an Italian soldier, architect and engineer. The baroque style of architecture, a flamboyant and theatrical style, that originated in Italy in the 16th century and subsequently spread across Europe, is used throughout the construction of the building. Further modifications used elements from neoclassical and Renaissance styles.
Highlights
Staircase of Honour
A monumental staircase designed by Domenico Ferri, an Italian architect and stage designer in the 19th century
The Chapel of the Holy Shroud
Designed by the architect Guarino Guarini, the chapel was originally built to house the shroud of Turin, believed to be the burial cloth of Jesus Christ, it is built in the baroque style with dramatic use of light and dark and extensive use of black marble.
The Throne Room
Used for ceremonial occasions, it is lavishly decorated using high ceilings, extensive glass panels, and the use of dark red drapery, it embodies the Royalist and u questioning power of the Savoy Family in Northern Italy at the time
The Royal Gardens
First began in the 16th Century and covering an area of approximately 5 hectares, it was redesigned by the famous gardener André Le Notre in 1697 who is known for his work, later on in his life on the gardens of Versailles in France.
Personal observations
As with many seats of royal power, the purpose of this complex is to impress upon its visitor, the unquestionable position of dominance and power in the region of northern Italy and beyond. It was built at a time of a new architectural style which was Baroque that reflected the requirements of the Savoy family to link itself to a divine right to reign from God, This can be seen through the room’s lavish interiors that eventually leads to the chapel of the holy shroud, that purported to have housed the cloth that held the body of Jesus Christ himself.
It is fitting that this complex was listed by UNESCO as a world heritage site in 1997 which reinforces its historical importance on the world stage and allows the visitor to understand, in part, a time where royalty ruled with impunity in buildings designed to reflect their perceived dominance over the rest of the population.
Well done Alec. Congratulation 😀