Villa Repeta
Encyclopedia
Villa Repeta in Campiglia dei Berici
, Province of Vicenza
, Italy, is a villa veneta built in 1672, substituting a pre-existing villa designed by Andrea Palladio
about 1557 and destroyed by a fire.
It is fruitless to seek Palladio amongst the seventeenth-century forms of the present Villa Repeta. The villa which Palladio built for Mario Repeta — or at least the initial results of his building campaign — was destroyed by fire at an unspecified date, sometime between 1640 and 1672, when it was therefore replaced by the existing new edifice. Therefore Palladio’s Villa Repeta, designed around 1557, can only be reconstructed on the basis of the plate in the Quattro Libri, although recent studies have raised serious doubts that the engraving can effectively correspond to the project. Rather they suggest that this plate represents Palladio’s usual, a posteriori, theoretical, re-elaboration of an idea, which was in reality compromised by major pre-existing features.
In any case, the project remains extraordinary among Palladio’s output: the structure has a continuous, Doric order
, portico
of only one storey
, which develops entirely horizontally around a rectangular courtyard
. The only vertical elements are the two dovecote
s at the corners of the complex.
Without the usual hierarchical dialogue between a dominant manorial house and agricultural annexes, the design of the villa might represent the product of a precise initiative on the part of the patrons and reflect the heterodox and egalitarian ideas of the Repeta family (Mario Repeta was denounced to the Holy Office in 1569), restless protagonists in the public life of Vicenza during the 16th century (Cinquecento).
The actual villa was built 1672 by Enea and Scipione Repeta.
Campiglia dei Berici
Campiglia dei Berici is a town in the province of Vicenza, Veneto, Italy. It is west of SP247.-Sources:*...
, Province of Vicenza
Province of Vicenza
The Province of Vicenza is a province in the Veneto region of northern Italy. Its capital city is Vicenza.The province has an area of 2,723 km², and a total population of 840,000 . There are 121 comuni in the province...
, Italy, is a villa veneta built in 1672, substituting a pre-existing villa designed by Andrea Palladio
Andrea Palladio
Andrea Palladio was an architect active in the Republic of Venice. Palladio, influenced by Roman and Greek architecture, primarily by Vitruvius, is widely considered the most influential individual in the history of Western architecture...
about 1557 and destroyed by a fire.
It is fruitless to seek Palladio amongst the seventeenth-century forms of the present Villa Repeta. The villa which Palladio built for Mario Repeta — or at least the initial results of his building campaign — was destroyed by fire at an unspecified date, sometime between 1640 and 1672, when it was therefore replaced by the existing new edifice. Therefore Palladio’s Villa Repeta, designed around 1557, can only be reconstructed on the basis of the plate in the Quattro Libri, although recent studies have raised serious doubts that the engraving can effectively correspond to the project. Rather they suggest that this plate represents Palladio’s usual, a posteriori, theoretical, re-elaboration of an idea, which was in reality compromised by major pre-existing features.
In any case, the project remains extraordinary among Palladio’s output: the structure has a continuous, Doric order
Doric order
The Doric order was one of the three orders or organizational systems of ancient Greek or classical architecture; the other two canonical orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian.-History:...
, portico
Portico
A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls...
of only one storey
Storey
A storey or story is any level part of a building that could be used by people...
, which develops entirely horizontally around a rectangular courtyard
Courtyard
A court or courtyard is an enclosed area, often a space enclosed by a building that is open to the sky. These areas in inns and public buildings were often the primary meeting places for some purposes, leading to the other meanings of court....
. The only vertical elements are the two dovecote
Dovecote
A dovecote or dovecot is a structure intended to house pigeons or doves. Dovecotes may be square or circular free-standing structures or built into the end of a house or barn. They generally contain pigeonholes for the birds to nest. Pigeons and doves were an important food source historically in...
s at the corners of the complex.
Without the usual hierarchical dialogue between a dominant manorial house and agricultural annexes, the design of the villa might represent the product of a precise initiative on the part of the patrons and reflect the heterodox and egalitarian ideas of the Repeta family (Mario Repeta was denounced to the Holy Office in 1569), restless protagonists in the public life of Vicenza during the 16th century (Cinquecento).
The actual villa was built 1672 by Enea and Scipione Repeta.
Sources
- Villa Repeta in CISA website (source for the first revision of this article, with kind permission)
See also
- Palladian Villas of the VenetoPalladian Villas of the VenetoThe City of Vicenza and the Palladian Villas of the Veneto is a World Heritage Site protecting a cluster of works by the architect Andrea Palladio. UNESCO inscribed the site on the World Heritage List in 1994. At first the site was called "Vicenza, City of Palladio" and only buildings in the...