Palladio, Andrea

ARCHITECT (ITALY)
BORN 30 Nov 1508, Padova, Veneto - DIED 19 Aug 1580, Maser, Veneto
BIRTH NAME Andrea di Pietro della Gondola
GRAVE LOCATION Vicenza, Veneto: Cimitero Maggiore

Andrea Palladio was the son of a miller. He became an apprentice stonecutter in the workshop of Bartolomeo Cavazza da Sossano when he was thirteen years old. In 1523 he left the workshop because of the working conditions. He fled to Vicenza, but he was forced to return and fulfil his contract until it ended in 1524. After this he settled in Vicenza and he lived there for the rest of his life. Around 1534 he married the daughter of a carpenter named Allegradonna.

In 1538 Gian Giorgio Trissino commissioned him to rebuild his Villa Trissino at Cricoli. He received the title of architect in 1540. In 1541 he travelled to Rome with Trissiono and he visited Rome again in 1545-1546 and 1546-1547. Trissino gave him the name of Palladio, referring to the goddess Pallas Athene. In 1549 he had hopes to become a Papal architect, but after Pope Paul II died this came to nothing. In 1554 he published "Antiquities of Rome". He built several palaces in Vincenza, including Palazzo Chiericati (1550) and Palazzo del Capitaniato (1565-1572). He also created suburban villas did architectural work for churches. His last work was the Teatro Olimpico in the Piazza Matteotti in Vicenza. He died soon after the start of the construction in 1580 and it was completed by Vincenzo Scamozzi in 1584.

He was initially buried in the Santa Corona Church in Vicenza. In 1844 a new tomb was constructed for him at the Cimitero Maggiore in Vicenza. His monument was created by Giuseppe De Fabris.

Related persons
• was admired by Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von

Images

The grave Andrea Palladio at the Cimitero Maggiore in Vicenza, Veneto.
Picture by Androom (29 Aug 2022)

 

Sources
Andrea Palladio - Wikipedia (EN)
Andrea Palladio - Wikipedia (IT)


Pallandt, Charlotte, Barones van

Published: 23 Apr 2025
Last update: 23 Apr 2025