Red Hall
The so-called Red Hall whose name originates from the colour of the tapestry
this hall has recently been coated, was part of the quarters belonging
to the city Senate during the “Ancient Regime”. The city
Senate was the political local representative body that ruled together
with the Legate Cardinal appointed by the Pope. Actually at the end of ‘500
it was a representative hall where the most important meetings of the
Senate were held while the chambers overlooking the corridor over the
Neptune’s Square were used as Secretaries, treasury rooms and accounting
departments.
The today lobby, the Press Office and the other overlooking
chambers were “Assunterie” chambers (chambers where Senate
commissions dealing with special Government branches were held). In 1677
the major hall for the meetings of the Senate was moved to the wing overlooking “Piazza
Maggiore” (the Main Square) and thus giving place to the current “Sala
del Consiglio Comunale”(Town Council Hall).
In the Red Hall the “Pallione della Peste” ("Plague
Processional Banner") was hanging: a painting on silk by Guido Reni
- preserved today in the Picture Gallery. Such painting was carried out
in 1631 in order to celebrate the end of the epidemic. Every year the
banner was carried during the procession proceeding from “Palazzo
Comunale” (Town Hall) as far as San Domenico’s Basilica where
the pillar of the “Madonna del Rosario” (Madonna of Rosary)
in the churchyard of the Basilica was the other public celebrating point
where the help of Mary was invoked in order to stop the plague burst.
The present settlement of the Red Hall traces back to the half of the
XIX century and its Empire style is due to the big chandeliers out of
Bohemian crystal (they were said to be the wedding present of Napoleon
to his sister Elisa Baciocchi) to the decorations of the barrel arch
by Luigi Samoggia (decorator) and by Luigi Busi (designer). Recently
it has been restored by maintaining its peculiarities.
