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Venetian Palace

Venetian Palace

Commonly known as the Venetian Palace, it was a royal palace in Famagusta built around 1300 by the Lusignan Kings of Cyprus across from St Nicholas Cathedral.

It was used as living accommodation until the reign of Peter II in 1369, when it was partially destroyed by earthquakes, the central sections of the palace completely demolished, and only its grand façade and back courtyard walls surviving.

The Venetians moved the capital of Cyprus from Nicosia to Famagusta and greatly renovated the palace ruins in 1552 – 1554, transforming the Gothic style features and replacing them with Italian Renaissance architecture. It was then used as the residence of the Venetian Military Governor, the

Proveditore.
The palace was an immense building and stood to remind the population of Venetian power and influence. The door to the palace opened up onto what was once the largest central square in all of Europe.

The final inhabitant of the Palazzo del Proveditore in 1569 was the appointed Captain General of Famagusta, Marco Antonio Bragadin, who led the Venetian resistance to the Ottoman conquest that began in 1570. He was famously killed in August 1571, enduring a slow death, starting with the carving of his ears, after the Ottomans took the city, the fall of which signalled the end of Western presence in Cyprus for the next 300 years.

During Ottoman rule, structures of the palace were used as military barracks, a prison and as a site for military drills. Under British rule, the building was used for similar policing purposes. Amongst the Ottoman prisoners was Namik Kemal, the Shakespeare of Turkish literature, who was held here between 1873 and 1876, having been exiled to Cyprus after criticising the Ottoman Sultan Abdulaziz. There is a bronze bust of the novelist facing the square named after him, by the Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque across from the Palazzo. In mid-20th century, the remaining structures from the palace were evacuate,d and parts were moved into the Namik Kemal Dungeon Museum, displaying the late writer’s life and works.

Architecture
The Venetian Palace was largely destroyed by the Ottomans, but what little remains is impressive, and is a rare example of Renaissance architecture in Cyprus, at the time of Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci. The most noticeable surviving parts are the front façade, with its three arches, mirroring the triumphal archways of ancient Rome, supported by four genuine Roman columns raided from the ruins of the old nearby city of Salamis. Behind the façade are several arches that run parallel, much plainer in comparison, potential remnants of the original Lusignan palace. Above the central arch a coat of arms can be seen, those of Giovanni Renier, the Italian Governor of Cyprus at the time in 1557. Further in you’ll find a chapel and L-shaped wall that dates to the Venetian era. Small rooms facing the courtyard have been used as prisons or arsenals. The courtyard exhibits military equipment including modern cannons and cannonballs as well as ancient columns and sculptures, a delightful scenic spot to have a break when touring Famagusta.

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