Palazzo Vecchio: Sala dei Cinquecento, Hall of the Five Hundred in Florence in Italy

The Sala dei Cinquecento, the Hall of the Five Hundred, was, first of all, the hall where the Grand Council of Florence met.

Hall and Ceiling of the Five Hundred Hall of Palazzo Vecchio in Florence Italy

Five Hundred Hall Palazzo Vecchio It was created under Jérôme Savonarola’s leadership to give space for meetings and decisions to the Republic of Florence's Government.

Savonarola wanted to be part of the Grand Council each Florentine over the age of 29 who had a relative in high office and who pays his taxes!

They were to be elected by the people, then 80 would be chosen to form a small council to run Florence.

More than a thousand Florentines met these criteria, and no hall in Florence allowed to gather so many people at once.

Therefore, it was decided to create this room, allowing five hundred people to attend meetings and participate in the Government of the Republic decisions.

But this role lasted less than twenty years, from 1495 to 1512.

Five Hundred Hall When the Spanish troops and those of Pope Julius II entered Tuscany, the Gonfalonier of Florence, Pier Soderini, relinquished power to Giovanni and Giuliano de Medici, sons of Lorenzo the Magnificent.

The hall then lost its role as a hall of the Grand Council of Florence.

When Cosimo I de Medici settled in this palace, he immediately decided to transform this room into a formal hall and audience with Giorgio Vasari's help.

Works began in 1542 and ended in 1571.

By transforming a rather austere room into a formal room, covered with canvases, paintings in each of the 42 ceiling boxes and other sculptures, it was also decided to change its height by destroying the previous ceiling to transform two floors into a single level.

To get the room you can admire today: 53 metres long, 22 metres wide and 18 metres high.

Five-Hundred Hall Hall and Ceiling | Ceiling Paintings | Pisa War | Siena War | Sculptures
Art Story Five-Hundred | Tower | Vasari Halls | Dante Mask | Ghirlandaio | Bronzino | Salviati | Cortile
Palazzo Vecchio Art Story | Location | Opening Hours Tickets | Authorizations

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