A URBINO

Nel XIII secolo la città di Urbino giunse in possesso della famiglia Montefeltro e nella seconda metà del Quattrocento raggiunse grande prosperità con Federico da Montefeltro.

Federico era un condottiere che in Latino è dux (da cui duca) and the palace erected for him by Luciano Laurana shows many "F. D." in the decoration. Federico was however careful in maintaining good relationships with the Papacy and together with dux he also emphasized his being a comes (chevalier/knight) of the Church. So the balconies, which are the most distinctive feature of the palace, have the inscription "F. C.".
To retain their domain the Montefeltro allied with other powerful families, chiefly the Della Rovere. The daughter of Federico married Giovanni della Rovere, a nephew of Pope Sixtus IV and his son Guidubaldo married Elisabetta Gonzaga, daughter of the duke of Mantua.
The coat of arms of Federico, showed his obedience to the Church by having a narrow vertical strip with the pope's heraldic symbols. In 1508 at the death of Guidubaldo, Urbino was bequeathed to his nephew Francesco Maria della Rovere and the coat of arms of the Montefeltro was enriched with the oak of the Della Rovere.

Nel 1626 Urbano VIII convinse l'ultimo duca Federico Maria II, senza figli, a restituire i suoi possedimenti allo Stato della Chiesa.
Urbino rapidly lost importance and entered a period of decadence. The popes focused their attention on Rome and little money was spent elsewhere, unless the Pope had a special reason for doing so.
In November 1700, Cardinal Giovan Francesco Albani was elected Pope and called himself Clemens XI. For Urbino the election was a lottery as the pope and his family tried to reverse the downward trend of the local economy.

Palazzo Albani
Gian Francesco Albani had been appointed cardinal by Alexander VIII and as a sign of gratitude he put over the entrance of his palace the coat of arms of this pope. The interior of the palace is decorated with the Albani's heraldic symbols : three mountains topped by a star.

Palazzo Ducale

Clemens XI was so interested in Urbino, that the "talking" statues of Rome had this little conversation:
Marforio:- Dimmi: che fai Pasquino? (Pasquino, tell me: what are you doing?)
Pasquino:- Eh, guardo Roma, chè non vada a Urbino (I watch over Rome, to make sure it's not moved to Urbino)
He restored Palazzo Ducale, without emphasizing what he had done, but just putting his mark on little details (the little pillars at the entrance and the top of the well in the courtyard).

XVIIIth century Lifestyle

Urbino, o per essere più precisi Castel Durante (rinominato Urbania dopo Urbano VIII), had a tradition for high quality majolicas. This, coupled with the XVIIIth century passion for coffee and cocoa, explains why in the Cathedral Museum you can find this set with the family symbols.

L' Obelisco

Clemente XI e il suo nipote Cardinal Annibale erano molto affezionati ai cimeli romani. Clemente XI eresse in Piazza della Rotonda un obelisco del Tempio di Iside; suo nipote trasferì a Urbino un altro obelisco da quel tempio e come al solito vi pose in cima i simboli di famiglia (per sapere tutto sugli obelischi di Roma clicca QUI).

Fontana di Benedetto XIII

L'influenza degli Albani durò ancora per un po' dopo la morte di Clemente XI nel 1721. Questa fontana di fronte a Palazzo Albani riporta lo stemma di uno dei suoi successori (Benedetto XIII), ma le stelle sono un riferimento agli Albani.
TORNA ALLA PAGINA DEGLI STEMMI PAPALI