Palazzo dei Priori

Palazzo dei Priori in Viterbo was conceived as a residence for the papal governor and transferred to the Priori in 1510. Its frescoed halls, chapel and civic museum wing reflect the city's shifting relationship between papal and communal power.

Why it matters

The Palazzo dei Priori is a symbol of Viterbo's civic power. Its original purpose was to house the Governor of the Patrimony of San Pietro in Tuscia, the papal province around Viterbo. In 1510, the Priori, the commune's executive magistracy, took possession of the building, giving it a civic rather than papal identity.

What to notice

The Cappella Palatina contains paintings by Filippo Cavarozzi and Marzio Ganassini. The Sala della Madonna is dedicated to the Madonna della Quercia, protector of the diocese. In the Sala Regia, ceiling frescoes depict castles under Viterbo's rule, alongside late-sixteenth-century works by Baldassarre Croce. The Sala del Consiglio, also known as Sala d'Ercole, and the Sala dei Paesaggi and Sala dell'Aurora complete the sequence of decorated rooms. In the porticoed wing, the Museo dei Portici displays Sebastiano del Piombo's Flagellation and Pietà.

Context and history

The palace rose when Viterbo was the administrative heart of the Patrimony of San Pietro in Tuscia. Its first identity was as a residence for the pope's governor. The transfer to the Priori in 1510 marked its transition to communal use. In 2021, the palace took part in commemorations of the first conclave, displaying the parchment documenting the gathering held in the Papal Palace between 1267 and 1271. The building remains a record of Viterbo's overlapping civil and papal histories.