The Palazzo Ducale (The Doge’s Plalace) is absolutely breathtaking in all its magnificence. It was constructed in 1309 and besides having been built as the home of the Doge, it also housed many of the Republic’s political institutions up until the Napoleonic occupation. By the sixteenth century, the Place was linked to the prison by the famous Bridge of Sighs (more on that in another post…). The palace faces the Venetian Lagoon and St. Mark’s Square.
Here are some beautiful pictures to give you but a glimpse of its grand beauty.
The beautiful Hortense was born in Paris on April 10, 1783. She was the daughter, and second child of (Josephine) Rose Tascher de la Pagerie (Bonaparte) and Alexandre Vicomte de Beauharnais. Josephine and Alexandre separated just a little while after her birth. The separation caused her to be away from her brother, Eugene, most of the time.
Let’s just say that her childhood was not a very happy one. Hortense and Eugene had to live through the terror of having their parents imprisoned during the French Revolution. Her father met his tragic end by ways of the guillotine, while Josephine was spared and later released. When she made it back to her children, who had lived their lives in misery by scourging the streets for most of the time, she had changed; she was poor and widowed and had to get her life back together for the sake of her children.
Josephine met Napoleon two years later. When he asked her in marriage, Hortense was not amused. She did not like Bonaparte and was jealous of his time with her mother. She eventually warmed up to him and became a loving and caring daughter. Hortense attended Madame Campan’s at Saint-Germain-en-Laye. She was educated in languages, acting, and dancing. She was extremely talented especially at playing the piano and the harp.
When she became of age to be married, Louis Bonaparte, Maopoleon’s younger brother was presented to her. It took her some time to make up her mind; and when she did finally accept, it seemed to have been more to please her mother and Napoleon rather than herself. The marriage was not a happy one, with Louis being fanatically jealous; this suffocated Hortense nand rendered her extremely miserable in her marriage.
When Napoleon and Josephine became Emperor and Empress, Hortense and Louis were crowned Queen and King of Holland. The marriage produced three boys; the first son, who was the hiooeful Napoleon heir to the crown, suddenly died from an illness when he was about five years-old. This was a shock for Hortense. She became ill with depression and was literally unable to speak or react for months.
She was sent to a spa in the French Pyrenees to try to recover from this devastating pain. King Louis met her for a reconciliation- which brought forth the birth of their third son. From his intense jealousy, Louis never believed the baby to be his own. The couple finally split up during the time of Napoleon’s exile to Elba. And, it was during this period that she fell in love with Charles de Flahaut.
When Npaoleon escaped from exile to reclaim his throne, Josephine had already passed away, but Hortense was dutifully by her step-father’s side. At the time of his eventual fall and exile to St. Helena, Hortense left France for she had been on the side of the usurper; having noone left for her to rely on , she escaped with both her sons…and also, pregnant by Charles de Flahaut.
While exiled in Switzerland, Hortense began to write her memoirs. She once again took up the arts and composed music, published her romances and drew and painted. Many illustrious artists, such as Alexandre Dumas, Franz Liszt and Lord Byron visited the exiled Queen. In 1837, la ‘Reine d’Hollande’ died from cancer at 54 years-old. Her youngest legitimate son became Napoleon III and chose a piece composed by his mother, to be the national hymn: Partir pour la Syrie.
In a previous post, I mentioned how Vivaldi was employed by the Pieta’ as a violin master. I find the story behind this place quite fascinating and thought I might share a bit of its history with you here today.
The Pio Ospedale della Pieta’ (the pious hospitalof mercy) was first opened in 1346 by the Monk Pieruzzo. The initiative behind this hospital was to take in babies that were abandoned, illegitimate, ill or coming from extremely poor families who were unable to take care of these. It was a charitable institution and orphanage run by the nuns. The babies were usually given up to the Pieta,’ by being deposited anonymously through a designated trapdoor, where the nuns would then take them in.
The Pieta’, or Ospedale as it is often called, also provided for abandoned and orphaned girls who remained at the orphanage until they married or, sometimes lived there for life. Some boys were also taken in by the orphanage but were taught a trade for their future. It was then easier for boys to set out and make it on their own; consequently, most of them usually left after a few years.
So it became that the girls that were raised within the orphanage were given intensive musical training. They were taught how to play an instrument (primarily the violin)-and all of them were expected to learn how to sing. By the late seventeenth century the Pieta’ was no longer just a mere convent and orphanage; it also became a renowned music school. For a minimal charge, various concerts were performed for the Venetian aristocracy.
This is where the great Vivaldi comes in. The composer was the master violin tutor at the time and contributed to much of the Pieta’s success and fame. He wrote much of his music specifically for the women of the Pieta’.
A most touching and endearing aspect of Vivaldi is his devotion to this place, and to its residents. It appears that many of the abandoned children were left there because of facial and physical deformities; yet, this did not exclude them from music lessons and from participating in concerts. The devoted Vivaldi actually had instruments specifically altered and adapted for these girls. The beautiful sounds of their voices accompanied by glorious music were the main focus of the concerts; the girls were never seen. Their beautiful voices emanated from behind a metal grill where the choir was free to sing and express its music somehow distanced and protected from any ogling stares.
Jean- Jacques Rousseau was often in this audience, where he claimed to ‘never having heard anything so voluptuous and affecting as this music…in these delightful concerts’.
This novel of Katherine Howard, the fifth of Henry VIII’s six wives, was a very enjoyable and clarifying historical read. To begin with, let’s agree that Katherine was never given a fair chance in comparison to the King’s other wives. Katherine was not as extravagant, well-known, or amazingly beautiful as some of the more renowned ones were. She was extremely young to be a bride; a child in fact. So, this in itself puts her in a category of her own. To read more please seehere
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