The Venetian Loggia (noblemen' s club) in Heraklion, close to the square of the Lions, Crete, Greece
The Loggia is also in the centre of Heraklion, on 25th of August Street, a few yards downhill from the Basilica of St Mark and the Lions. The elegant building of the Loggia is one of the finest monuments of Venetian Crete. The Loggia (noblemen's club) now standing in Heraklion was constructed in 1626-28 by Francesco Morosini, the same man who built the Lions Fountain (Fontana Morosini) in Eleftheriou Venizelou Square. This is the fourth and final Loggia built during the period of Venetian rule. Very little information is available on the first three, so we do not really know what they looked political and social customs demanded the construction of a public building in Heraklion, as a meeting-place for the nobles, rulers and feudal lords, where economic and commercial decisions were made. It was also a place for them to relax, something like an officers' mess today. The Loggia was the centre of local administrative and social life. From its balconies the heralds proclaimed decrees of state, and the Duke watched the processional litanies and parades. The Loggia was a rectangular two-storey building, with an open arcade on the ground floor. It is a masterly combination of two different architectural styles: the Doric style on the ground floor and the Ionic on the upper floor. The building is a faithful reproduction of Palladio’s famous Basilica in Vincenza, demonstrating the significance the Venetians attached to the city of Heraklion. When Crete gained its independence in 1898, the Loggia was in a poor state and in danger of collapse. In 1905 it was made over, along with the Armeria, to the Municipality of Heraklion for use as a Town Hall. Restoration work began in 1915 according to plans by the Venetian engineer Ongaro, who was sent by the Italian government at the request of the Cretan State. Restoration work (SOURCE: )
Size: 5616px × 3744px
Location: Heraklion city, Crete, Greece, Europe
Photo credit: © Hercules Milas / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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