The Genoese Palace (1314) in the foreground, with the Galata Tower (1348) in the background

The Genoese Palace (Turkish: Ceneviz Sarayı; Italian: Palazzo del Comune, lit. 'Palace of the Commune'), alternatively known as the Palace of the Podestà (Turkish: Podesta Sarayı), is a medieval palace in Galata (the modern Karaköy quarter in the Beyoğlu district of Istanbul), which was a colony of the Republic of Genoa between 1273 and 1453.

The Genoese Palace before its front facade on Bankalar Caddesi was rebuilt with a different style in the 1880s and became known as the Bereket Han office building.

It was built in 1314 (damaged by fire in 1315 and repaired in 1316)[1][2] by Montano De Marini,[3] the Podestà of Galata.[1][2] In terms of design it was modeled after the 13th-century wing of the Palazzo San Giorgio in Genoa, Italy.[1]

The building's appearance remained largely unchanged until 1880, when its front (southern) facade on Bankalar Caddesi (facing the Golden Horn), together with about two-thirds of the building, was demolished for constructing the street's tramway line.[2] The front facade was later reconstructed in the 1880s with a different style and became a 5-floor office building named Bereket Han,[2] while its rear (northern) facade on Kart Çınar Street (and the remaining one-third of the palace building) has retained the materials and design of the original structure, but needs restoration.[1][2]

It is a short walk to the left (west) of the Camondo Steps, on Kart Çınar Street, which was historically known as the Rue Camondo in the 19th and early 20th centuries.[4]

In 2021 the Genoese coat-of-arms of Luchino De Fazio,[3] the Podestà of Pera[3] (dating from c. 1446–1447),[3] on the building's surviving rear facade on Kart Çınar Street, was stolen.[2]

In 2022 the building was put up for sale after years of neglect.[1][5]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Galata'daki tarihi Podesta Sarayı satışa çıkarıldı". haber7.com. 18 July 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Ceneviz Sarayı'nı parça parça çalıyorlar". hurriyet.com.tr. Hürriyet. 13 July 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Mural Slabs from Genoese Galata". www.thebyzantinelegacy.com. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  4. ↑ Ottoman Bank Museum: Bereket Han on Bankalar Caddesi Archived April 10, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  5. ↑ "Tarihi Podesta Sarayı 7 milyon dolara satışa çıkarıldı". gazeteduvar.com.tr (in Turkish). Gazete Duvar. 2022-07-17. Retrieved 2022-07-18.

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