A Guest at the Palace | “Warsaw, church of the Holy Cross” by Bernardo Bellotto

15 July — 15 October 2023
Palazzo Cini. La Galleria, Venezia

Bernardo Bellotto, Warsaw, Church of the Holy Cross, c. 1778, oil on canvas, 84 x 107,5 cm, the Royal Castel of Warsaw.

The Guest at the Palace initiative, promoted by the Art History Institute of the Fondazione Giorgio Cini, was created through collaborations with some of the most prestigious Italian and international museum institutions. Conceived to temporarily enrich the museum holdings of Galleria di Palazzo Cini, the project features the exhibition of particularly important artworks granted on extraordinary loan and hosted for several months in the historic residence of Vittorio Cini, which houses the masterpieces of his remarkable art collection.

The season at the Galleria di Palazzo Cini in San Vio continues with the arrival of a new special guest. It is the unique painting by Bernardo Bellotto (Venice, 30 January 1721 – Warsaw, 17 October 1780), entitled Warsaw, Church of the Holy Cross, dated 1778, on loan from the Royal Castle Museum in Warsaw. The work will be on display in the Gallery’s rooms from 15 July to 15 October 2023 as part of the exhibition.

Warsaw, church of the Holy Cross

The painting Warsaw, Church of the Holy Cross by Bernardo Bellotto depicts the imposing Baroque façade of the Church of the Holy Cross – one of Warsaw’s most important churches and the venue for state ceremonies – which dominates Krakowskie Przedmieście (the Krakow Suburb), a bustling thoroughfare and the final stretch of the road connecting the two royal residences, Wilanów Palace and the castle in the Old Town.

The church was built between 1725 and 1737 to a design by the Ticino architect Giuseppe Fontana; it was severely damaged during the 1944 uprising and rebuilt between 1945 and 1953, partly thanks to this very painting by Bellotto.

A dense row of noble palaces lines the street, with, on the right, the façade of St. Roch’s Hospital, founded in 1707. Among the illuminated buildings opposite the church, the entrance gate to the courtyard of Kazimierz Palace stands out; since 1816, with its ups and downs, it has been the seat of the University of Warsaw. The neighbouring palace, with a balcony, belonged to King Poniatowski’s father; further on, where the street narrows, the boundary wall of the Lubomirski Palace and the scaffolding on the façade of the Carmelite church, then under construction.

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