Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.31726/via.32.6
Seats of Venetian government in Sveti Lovreč Pazenatički
Petar Strunje
; Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia
Abstract
Sveti Lovreč Pazenatički is a small town in western Istria known for its important medieval monuments, such as its walls, the Basilica of St. Martin and the attached town loggia, but also the today missing Praetorian Palace that stood next to the western façade of the church and was demolished in 1836. Starting from the typological specificity of this poorly researched administrative building in this town that served important functions for the Venetian government of the 14th century, this paper explores the topography of power of medieval Sveti Lovreč, further shedding light on the then and later architectural chronology of the seats of government in the town. Sveti Lovreč was first recorded in sources in 1030, around the time of the construction of the Basilica of St. Martin, its most impressive building; in 1186 it was confirmed as a commune under a gastald and after 1256 under an elected podestà – first as part of the Holy Roman Empire and then, after 1276, of the Venetian Republic. The period from 1304 to 1394 is particularly important for the town as during this period it was the centre of the Pasenatico – a Venetian captaincy that controlled the territory of Istria outside the old coastal communes. A review of published sources revealed the earliest mentions of the seats of government in the Istrian town; and their locations and relationships were discussed. The accommodation of the Venetian podestà was mentioned in the record of the surrender of the town to Venice in 1271, while the Venetian Senate decided in 1312 that suitable residences should be found for the captain of the Pasenatico, his family, deputy and notary. The house and tower of the Zane family were purchased to accommodate the captain and his family in 1325 and soon renovated; in this paper they are identified with the so-called Captain’s Palace on the south-eastern section of the walls. Apparently, the notary and the deputy (constable) were housed in an older administrative palace located next to the basilica and the loggia, later called the praetorian palace, which can be recognized by the names domus comunis and palatium vetus, or logiarum; its renovations were particularly intensified from 1399 to 1448 when it (again) became the palace of the podestà. The article then reconstructs the history of the attempts to restore and repair the palace based on Senate decisions and published research, visible in documents from 1455, 1569, 1506, 1562, 1589, 1619, 1628, 1645 and 1652. They testify to the poor maintenance of the building until the comprehensive renovation in 1794, towards the very end of the Serenissima, thoroughly researched by Marino Budicin.
Keywords
Sveti Lovreč; Pasenatico; praetorian palace; captain’s palace; topography of power; Venetian Republic; Istria
Hrčak ID:
342279
URI
Publication date:
23.12.2025.
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