Padua

Padua (Ital. Padova), a city of North Italy, 23 miles by rail W. by S. of Venice and 18 SE. of Vicenza, is still surrounded with walls. The principal streets are lined with arcades; most of the others, especially in the older parts, are narrow, dark, and ill-paved; but there are several handsome squares and fine gates. The first place among the public buildings belongs to the municipal palace (1172-1219), a huge structure resting on arches, with balconies running round the upper story. The roof (1420) of its great hall (267½ feet long, by 89 wide, and 78 high) is perhaps the largest in Europe unsupported by pillars. The churches (nearly fifty) include the cathedral (1552-1754); St Antony (1230-1307), said to have been designed by Nicola da Pisano, a building in the Pointed style, with Byzantine blendings, and a richly decorated interior by Donatello, Sausovino, and others—the bones of St Antony rest in a side-chapel; St Justina (16th century), a fine Renaissance church, with an altarpiece by Veronese, and other pictures; church of the Eremitani (13th century), with frescoes by Mantegna; the chapel of the Annunciation (1303), adorned with frescoes by Giotto; and the chapel of St George (1377), with frescoes by Avanzi and Altichieri. The 'saint's school' is adorned with frescoes by Titian and his pupils, illustrating the life of St Antony. Donatello's fine equestrian statue of Gattamelata, the Venetian captain, stands in front of the church of St Antony. Padua has enjoyed greatest fame from her university, founded by the emperor Frederick II. in 1221, though the fine Renaissance buildings date from 1493-1552; there are now 80 teachers and 1100 students. To it is attached one of the oldest botanical gardens in Europe, and a library (1629) of 158,500 vols. and 2500 MSS. The city museum (1881) contains antiquarian, art, and numismatic collections, a library, and archives. There is not much industry or much commerce, though leather, cloth, and gut-strings are prepared. Pop. with suburbs (1897) 81,300. Padua's most famous natives were Livy and Mantegna. One of the oldest cities in Italy, Pataria came under the Roman supremacy in 215 B.C. In the 5th century it was severely handled by the Huns, and was banded to and fro between the Goths and the Eastern empire. From the Lombards it passed to the Franks (774); during the Guelph and Ghibelline quarrel it alternately submitted to the emperors and sided with the Lombard cities. In 1318 it took to itself as lord the head of the Carrara family, who ruled it till it was conquered by Venice in 1405. Venice kept it till 1797, when it was given to Austria, who held it (except from 1805-14) until it was incorporated in Italy in 1866. The province has an area of 797 sq. mi. and pop. (1895) of 445,300.