21 



BOLOGNA. 



BOLOGNA. 



with fresco-paintings by the great masters. The palace of the PodestJi, 

 in which Hentzius, son of the emperor Frederick II., and nominal 

 king of Sardinia, spent in confinement twenty-two years of his life, 

 and in which he died iu 1272, contains the archives of the city. The 

 Palazzo del Pubblico, a large structure, is the residence of the cardinal 

 legate and the seat of the various courts of justice. In the square 

 before it is a handsome fountain with the colossal statue of Neptune 

 by Giovanni da Bologna. 



Bologna abounds with churches, most of which are rich in paint- 

 ings. The church of San Petronio, a magnificent though incomplete 

 gothic structure, which was founded in 1390, has a meridian line 

 traced on its pavement by the astronomer Cassini ; the interior, which 

 - f s merely of nave and choir, is richly ornamented with sculpture ; 

 and the three canopied doorways of the unfinished facade are covered 

 with marvellous clusters of beautiful bas-reliefs, representing the main 

 subjects of the Old and New Testaments in stone. The central portal 

 was completed by one man's hand that of Jacopo delta Quarcia. 

 Charles V. was crowned in San Petronio by Pope Clement VII. The 

 cathedral of San Petro is rich in works of art. The church of San 

 Domenico contains several fine monuments, including those of San 

 Domeuico by Xicolo di Pisa ; tombs of Hentzius, of Taddeo Pepoli, 

 of Guido and his pupil EKsabetta Sirani, of Count Marsigli, and other 

 illustrious individuals. The adjoining convent is the residence of 

 the tri I junal of the Inquisition. The church of San Stefano, one of 

 the oldest and most interesting religious edifices in Italy, consists of no 

 less than seven churches united. One of these, dedicated to St. Peter 

 and St. Paul, dates from A.D. 330, and all of them are decorated with 

 Greek frescoes, oil-paiiitin.;*, and works of ancient Christian art. 



ll'ilu^iia is surrounded by walls about six miles in circuit, and has 

 twelve gates ; except iu the older quarters of the city the streets are 

 tolerably wide, and most of them have low arcades on each side to 

 shelter pedestrians from the sun or rain. In the centre of the city, 

 near the Foro de' Mercanti, or Chamber of Commerce (a fine gothic 

 structure, built in 1294) are two lofty towers, the highest of which, 

 called Asinelli from the name of its founder, is 256 feet high ; the 

 other, Garisenda (which is alluded to by Dante in the 31st canto of 

 the ' Inferno '), is only about one-half of the height of its neighbour, 

 but inclines on one side about nine feet. The Asinelli is also a little 

 out of the perpendicular, though in a much slighter degree. Both 

 towers date from the 1 2th century. 



The University of Bologna is the oldest and still one of the first in 

 Italy. Its origin is stated to have been under Theodosius II., and it 

 u said to have been restored by Charlemagne. We find it enjoying 

 great celebrit y early in the 1 2th century. It has the following classes, 

 theology, medicine, law, philosophy and mathematics, and belles 

 lettres. The faculty of medicine has the most and the best filled 

 chairs. The university is established in a noble palace (in which the 

 Institute of Bologna has its apartments, library, and collections), 

 built in the Strada San Donate by Cardinal Poggi in the 16th century. 

 The building was purchased by the Senate of Bologna in 1714. The 

 great linguist, Cardinal Mi-z/.ofanti, commenced his career as librarian 

 to the University of Bologna. Annexed to the university are a 

 museum, a botanical garden, an anatomical cabinet, and a library 

 containing 80,000 volumes (20,000 of which were presented by Pope 

 Benedict XIV.) and 4000 manuscripts. 



Besides the library of the university, the city of Bologna has a 

 public library, the legacy of Father Magnaui, which occupies three 

 of the convent of San Domenico, and contains 83,000 volumes. 

 The academy of the fine arts has a splendid gallery of paintings, 

 chiefly of the Bolognese school, which was founded by Franco 

 Bolognese, a follower of Giotto, in 1313 ; arrived at great eminence 

 under Francesco Francia in 1585; and reached the culminating point 

 of its fame under the Caracci and their illustrious pupils Domeni- 

 chino, Albane, and Guido towards the end of the 16th and the 

 beginning of the 17th century. The Roman and other Italian schools 

 are each represented iu the gallery by a few master-pieces. The 

 Institute delle Scienze, founded by Count Marsigli, has an observa- 

 tory. The Philharmonic Lyceum, in which 100 pupils are maintained 

 at the expense of the town, possesses a valuable musical library of 

 17,'i<iO volumes, collected by Father Martini, a Bolognese composer of 

 -th century. The College Venturoli, founded iu 1825, i devoted 

 to students of architecture. There is also a college for Spanish stu- 

 dents, founded by Cardinal Albornoz ; and another for Flemish 

 students, who are sent here by the goldsmiths' company of Brussels, 

 i Jacobs, a Flemish goldsmith, and a friend of 

 >. The Scuole Pie, or public school for the children of the poorer 

 line buililn. '. .lognese architect Terribilia. The 



rsity wax held in this building before it was transferred to the 

 palace of the Institute above mentioned. The children are taught 

 '.uslv Latin, arithmetic, singing, and drawing. 



Bologna is an HI ^ee, and the series of its bishops ascends 



D St. Xama was its first bishop. St. Petronius, who 



is the tenth bishop of Bologna. Among the 



I' the city are no less than six popes and nearly 



The city and the province of Bologna are 



,:st<;ml l,y n Ku -,]i na ] |,.g a te appointed by the pope. The court of 



^ of Bologna, Ferrara, Ravenna, and Forli 



ts at Bologna, and consist* of six judges. 



There are several manufactures of silks, paper, and pottery. The 

 large sausages (mortadelle) of Bologna have a long established reputa- 

 tion, as well as its liqueurs, jams, and syrups. The people of Bologna 

 are frank and fond of gaiety ; the lower classes are noisy, and their 

 dialect is the most uncouth and rough sounding in all Italy. The 

 women are generally good looking. There is a casino, or assembly- 

 rooms for the nobility, besides reading-rooms and private conversa- 

 zioni. There are several theatres, at which some of the beat per- 

 formers of Italy are generally engaged. 



Outside of the walls, the Campo Sento or cemetery contains many 

 handsome monuments. On the hill called Delia Guardia, about three 

 miles from Bologna, is the handsome church of La Madonna di San 

 Luca, which is joined to the town by a long arcade consisting of 635 

 arches. The once splendid monastery of San Michele in Bosco was 

 sadly inj ured during the French wars, and its frescoes by the Caracci 

 and others were nearly effaced by the hands of the soldiers. 



Bologna occupies the site of the ancient Felsina, which was the 

 principal city of the Etruscans north of the Apennines, and is tradi- 

 tionally said to have been founded by Ocnus, brother of Aulestes, the 

 founder of Perusia. When the Gauls invaded Lombardy, the Boii, 

 one of their tribes, crossed the Po, and established themselves in 

 Felsina and the neighbouring country. Afterwards the Boii became 

 involved in wars with Rome, and they joined Hannibal in his invasion 

 of Italy. After the end of that war the Boii, with the other Cisalpine 

 Gauls, were conquered by the Consul Scipio Nasica, and Felsina 

 became a Roman colony B.C. 189. The name seems then to have been 

 changed into Bononia, for it appears from Livy that the name Felsina 

 was retained as late as B.C. 196. The Via ^Emilia, a continuation of 

 the Via Flaminia, was carried from Ariminum through Bononia. In 

 the civil war between Antony and the senate, Bononia was attached 

 to the party of the former, and it was here that the Consul Pansa, 

 defeated by Antony in the first battle of Mutiua, died of his wounds 

 B.c. 43. In the autumn of the same year the famous meeting took 

 place between Antony and Octavius, in a small island formed by the 

 river Rhenus (Reno) between Bononia and Mutina. 



A fire consumed great part of Bononia under Claudius (' Tacit.' xii. 

 58), when 10,000,000 sestertii were granted from the public treasury 

 for rebuilding the town. On this occasion young Nero pleaded before 

 the senate in favour of Bononia. (' Sueton.,' Nero, vii.) In the 3rd 

 century the first Christian church was built in Bononia, and dedi- 

 cated to St. Felix, which wai afterwards destroyed in the persecution 

 under Diocletian, when Proculus, Agricola, Vitalis, and other 

 Christians of Bononia suffered martyrdom. Bononia escaped with 

 comparatively little damagj the invasions of the northern barbarians. 

 A Uric besieged but did not take this city. It also seems to have 

 escaped the ravages of Attila. In the time of the Longobards 

 Bononia formed part of the exarchate of Ravenna under the Eastern 

 empire, until Liutprand occupied it with the rest of that province. 

 Bononia was one of the towns given by Pepin, after his defeat of the 

 Longobards, to the see of St. Peter. Under the church, Bononia was 

 administered by dukes, probably of Longobard race. In the confu- 

 sion of Italian affairs after the extinction of the Carlovingian dynasty, 

 the towns of the exarchate no longer recognised the dominion of the 

 church, whose temporal sway was not acknowledged even at Rome 

 itself. The bishops, and the various dukes and "marquesses divided 

 among them the dominion of the country. Under the Othos of 

 Saxony, Bononia, as well as the other cities of North Italy, obtained 

 privileges and franchises as imperial towns governed by their own 

 municipal laws. Under Conrad the Salic we find counts of Bononia, 

 who administered justice together with the Missi of the emperor. 



The municipal independence of Bologna was acknowledged by the 

 emperor Henry V. in 1112 by a charter. The commune had the 

 right of coining money. The citizens assembled in general comitia, 

 and appointed their consuls, judges, and other magistrates. The 

 country districts were subject to the town, the territory of which 

 was at first extremely limited, being surrounded on every side by a 

 host of feudal nobles, and by the domains of the churches and 

 monasteries, which were independent of the jurisdiction of the town. 

 By degrees however several of the surrounding nobles applied for the 

 citizenship, and being admitted came to reside in the town. Others 

 lost their territory in wars against the city, so that Bologna came to 

 rule over a great part of ..'Emilia, the country now generally called 

 Romagua, which extends from Bologna to Rimini. 



In the war between Frederick I. and the Lombard League Bologna 

 joined the hitter. It likewise fought against Frederick II., on which 

 occasion the Bologuese took prisoner Hentzius, the natural son of the 

 emperor, whom they detained in captivity till the time of his death. 

 The war of the Bolognese against the Modenese, who were of the 

 imperial party, has been immortalised by Tassoni in his burlesque 

 poem, ' La Secchia Rapita,' or ' The Rape of the Bucket,' a title 

 suggested by an incident of the war : the Modenese cavalry having 

 made a sudden dash into Bologna and carried away from one of the 

 fountains a bucket, which was deposited as a trophy in the tower of 

 Modena. The factions of theGuelphs and Ghibelines proved the ruin 

 of the independence of Bologna. The Lambertazzi, the head of the 

 Ghibeline party, being worsted in the city by the Oeremei, the chief 

 family of the Guelphs, were, after much bloodshed, driven away in 

 1274 with 15,000 of their partisans and dependents, men, women, and 



