Francesco Buranelli, Segretario della Pontificia Commissione per i Beni Culturali della Chiesa/Secretary of the Pontifical Commission for the Cultural Heritage of the Church, will give the Patricia H. Labalme Friends of the Library Lecture entitled “Palazzo Farnese ovvero una Accademia ante litteram.”

The Palazzo Farnese continues to fulfill a major role in European culture, approximately five hundred years after its construction under the direction of Pope Paul III (Alessandro Farnese, 1468–1549, pope from 1534) and his Cardinal nephews—the “grand” Cardinal Alessandro, Ranuccio and Odoardo. This was demonstrated by the exhibition on the Palazzo that the French Embassy in Rome organized last year. The Palazzo’s “cultural vocation” has deep roots and was developed through a careful and visionary initiative of the Casa Farnese, which called on the best architects, decorators, and artists of the Renaissance, as well as the most accomplished humanists of the time, to work on it. This Academy ante litteram never faltered and regenerated itself over the centuries. Today we can appreciate all that it continues to offer.

The lecture will be held in Italian. Seats available on a first-come, first-served basis.