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PARMA

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Originally appearing in Volume V20, Page 851 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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PARMA , a See also:

town and episcopal see of See also:Emilia, See also:Italy, See also:capital of the See also:province of Parma, situated on the Parma, a tributary of the Po, 55 M. N.W. of See also:Bologna by See also:rail. Pop. (1906), 48,523. Parma, one of the finest cities of See also:northern Italy, lies in a fertile See also:tract of the Lombard See also:plain, within view of the See also:Alps and sheltered by the See also:Apennines, 170 ft. above See also:sea-level. From See also:south to See also:north it is traversed by the channel of the Parma, crossed here by three See also:bridges; and from See also:east to See also:west runs the See also:line of the Via Aemilia, by which See also:ancient Parma was connected on the one See also:hand with See also:Ariminum (See also:Rimini), and on the other with Placentia (See also:Piacenza). The old ramparts and bastions (excluding the See also:circuit of the citadel of 1591, now in See also:great See also:part demolished, in the south-east) make an See also:enceinte of about 42 m., but the enclosed See also:area is not all occupied by streets and houses. In the centre of the See also:city the Via Aemilia widens out into the Piazza See also:Garibaldi, a large square which contains the Palazzo del Governo and the Palazzo Municipale, both dating from 1627. The See also:cathedral of the See also:Assumption (originally S. Herculanus), erected between ro64 and 1074, and consecrated in rro6 by See also:Pope See also:Paschal II., is a See also:Lombardo-Romanesque See also:building in the See also:form of a Latin See also:cross. The severe west front is relieved by three rows of semicircular See also:arches, and has a central See also:porch (there were at one See also:time three) supported by huge red See also:marble lions, sculptured no doubt with the See also:rest of the See also:facade by Giovanni Bono da Bissone in 1281. On the south See also:side of the facade is a large See also:brick campanile, and the See also:foundations of another may be seen on the north.

The walls and See also:

ceiling of the See also:fine Romanesque interior are covered with frescoes of 1570, subdued in See also:colour and well suited to the See also:character of the building; those of the octagonal See also:cupola representing the Assumption of the Virgin are by See also:Correggio, but much restored. The See also:crypt contains the See also:shrine of the See also:bishop S. Bernardino degli Uberti and the See also:tomb of Bartolommeo See also:Prato—the former by Prospero See also:Clementi of Reggio. In the See also:sacristy are fine intarsias. To the south-west of the cathedral stands the See also:baptistery, designed by Benedetto Antelami; it was begun in 1196 and not completed till 1281. The whole structure is composed of red and See also:grey See also:Verona marble. Externally it is an irregular octagon, each See also:face consisting of a See also:lower See also:storey with a semicircular See also:arch (in three cases occupied by a portal), with sculptures by Antelami, four tiers of small columns supporting as many continuous architraves, and forming open galleries, and above these (an addition of the See also:Gothic See also:period) a See also:row of five engaged columns supporting a See also:series of pointed arches and a See also:cornice. Internally it is a See also:polygon of sixteen unequal sides, and the cupola is supported by sixteen ribs, springing from the same number of columns. The frescoes are interesting See also:works of the See also:early 13th See also:century. In the centre is an octagonal See also:font bearing date 1294. The episcopal See also:palace shows traces of the building of 1232. To the east of the cathedral, and at no great distance, stands the See also:church of S.

Giovanni Evangelista, which was founded along with the See also:

Benedictine monastery in 981, but as a building See also:dates from 1510, and has a facade erected by See also:Simone Moschino early in the 17th century. The interior is an extremely fine early See also:Renaissance See also:work. The frescoes on the cupola representing the See also:vision of S. See also:John are by Correggio, and the arabesques on the vault of the See also:nave by Anselmi. The Madonna della Steccata (Our See also:Lady of the Palisade), a fine church in the form of a See also:Greek cross, erected between 1521 and 1539 after Zaccagni's designs, contains the tombs and monuments of many of the See also:Bourbon and See also:Farnese See also:dukes of Parma, and preserves its pictures, See also:Parmigiano's " See also:Moses Breaking the Tables of the See also:Law " and Anselmi's " See also:Coro-nation of the Virgin." S. See also:Francesco, probably the earliest Franciscan church in northern Italy (123o-1298; now a See also:prison), is a Gothic building in brick with a fine See also:rose-window. The Palazzo See also:delta Pilotta is a vast and irregular See also:group of buildings dating mainly from the 16th and 17th centuries; it now comprises the See also:academy of fine arts (1752) and its valuable picture See also:gallery. Among the most celebrated pictures here are Correggio's " Madonna di See also:San See also:Girolamo " and "Madonna della Scodella." The Teatro Farnese, a remarkable wooden structure erected in 1618-1619 from Aleotti d'Argenta's designs, and capable of containing 4500 persons, is also in this palace. Thereare other beautiful ceiling frescoes by Correggio in the former Benedictine nunnery of S. See also:Paolo, executed in 1518-1519; in an adjoining chamber are fine arabesques by Araldi (d. 1528); thence come also some fine See also:majolica tiles (1471-1482), now in the museum. The royal university of Parma, founded in 16or by Ranuccio I., and reconstituted by See also:Philip of Bourbon in 1768, has faculties in law, See also:medicine and natural See also:science, and possesses an See also:observatory, and natural science collections, among which is the Eritrean Zoological Museum.

A very considerable See also:

trade is carried on at Parma in See also:grain, See also:cattle and the See also:dairy produce of the See also:district. The grana See also:cheese known as Parmesan is not now so well made at Parma as in some other parts of Italy—See also:Lodi, for example. From archaeological discoveries it would appear that the ancient town was preceded by a prehistoric See also:settlement of the See also:Bronze See also:Age, the dwellings of which rested upon piles—one, indeed, of the so-called terremare, which are especially frequent in the neighbourhood of Parma. Parma became a See also:Roman See also:colony of 2000 colonists in 183 B.C., four years after the construction of the Via Aemilia, on which it See also:lay. The See also:bridge by which the Via Aemilia crossed the See also:river Parma, from which it probably takes its name, is still preserved, but has been much altered. A bishop , of Parma is mentioned in the acts of the See also:council of See also:Rome of A.D. 378. It See also:fell into the See also:power of See also:Alboin in 569 and became the seat of a Lombard duchy; it was still one of the wealthiest cities of Aemilia in the Lombard period. During the 11th, 12th and 13th centuries Parma had its full See also:share of the See also:Guelph and Ghibelline struggles, in which it mainly took the part of the former, and also carried on repeated hostilities with Borgo San Donnino and Piacenza. Its bishop Cadalus (1046-1071) was elected to the papacy by the Lombard and See also:German bishops in ro61, and marched on Rome, but was driven back by the partisans of See also:Alexander III. To him is due the building of the cathedral. As a See also:republic its See also:government was mainly in the hands of the See also:Rossi, See also:Pallavicino, Correggio and Sanvitale families.

The fruitless See also:

siege of Parma in 1248 was the last effort of See also:Frederick II. In the cathedral flags captured in this siege are preserved. In 1307 the city became a lordship for Giberto da Correggio, who laid the basis of its territorial power by conquering Reggio, Brescello and Gaustalla, and was made See also:commander-in-See also:chief of the Guelphs by See also:Robert of See also:Apulia. The Correggio See also:family never managed to keep See also:possession of it for See also:long, and in 1346 they sold it to the See also:Visconti (who constructed a citadel, La Rocchetta, in 1356, of which some remains exist on the east See also:bank of the river, while the later teete du pant may be seen en the west bank), and from them it passed to the See also:Sforza. Becoming subject to Pope See also:Julius II. in 1512, Parma remained (in spite of the See also:French occupation See also:horn 1515 to 1521) a papal possession till 1545, when See also:Paul III. (Alexander Farnese) invested his son Pierluigi with the duchies of Parma and Piacenza. There were eight dukes of Parma of the Farnese line—Pierluigi (d. 1547), Ottavio (1586), Alessandro (1592), Ranuccio I. (1622), Odoardo (1646), Ranuccio II. (1694), Francesco (1727), See also:Antonio (1731). Antonio and Francesco both having died childless, the duchy passed to See also:Charles of Bourbon (See also:Don See also:Carlos), See also:infante of See also:Spain, who, becoming See also:king of See also:Naples in 1734, surrendered Parma and Piacenza to See also:Austria, but retained the See also:artistic treasures of the Farnese See also:dynasty which he had removed from Parma to Naples. Spain reconquered the duchies in the See also:war of See also:succession (1745); they were recovered by Austria in 1746; and Maria See also:Theresa again surrendered them to Don Philip, infante of Spain, in 1748.

See also:

Ferdinand, Philip's son, who succeeded under Dutillot's regency in 1765, saw his states occupied by the revolutionary forces of See also:France in 1796, and had to See also:purchase his See also:life-See also:interest with 6,000,000 lire and 25 of the best paintings in Parma. On his See also:death in 1802 the duchies were incorporated with the French republic and his son See also:Louis became " king of See also:Etruria." Parma was thus governed for several years by See also:Moreau de See also:Saint-Mery and by See also:Junot. At the See also:congress of See also:Vienna, Parma, Piacenza and See also:Guastalla were assigned to See also:Marie See also:Louise (daughter of See also:Francis I. of Austria and See also:Napoleon's second See also:consort), and on her death they passed in 1847 to Charles II. (son of Louis of Etruria 1905).

End of Article: PARMA

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