Palazzo del Consiglio dei Dodici (Council of the Twelve Palace), Pisa

Some of the most beautiful buildings in Pisa are to be found on the Knight’s Square and the small Palazzo del Consiglio dei Dodici is one of them. The Palace of the Council of the Twelve – and the name sounds like something out of Camelot – once belonged to the Order of the Knights of Saint Stephen. It was where they held court and made decisions. The palace was first mentioned in the Middle Ages as the Palace Archive and Chancellery. In 1509 it was known as Priory Palace. The Order took it over in 1603 and the architect Francavilla rebuilt it in harmony with the other buildings on the square.

The Renaissance style façade is of peach colored plaster with the window edgings, portal with its twin columns, the coat of arms and corner cornice reinforcements in white marble. Inside there is a bust of the Grand Duke Ferdinand I de Medici and the remains of a 16th century fresco of the Assumption. There are also the coats of arms of the Medici family and of the Order. The walls in the Hearing Room feature nautical scenes painted by Lippi and Giusti in 1681. The carved and gilded ceiling has a painting representing the Virtues, painted by Salimbeni in 1602. The centerpiece of the ceiling in the Grand Hall is of the Triumph of Saint Stephen and was executed by Gabrielli in 1692.