TRG SVETEGA ANTONA / SANT'ANTONIO SQUARE

SLO

Trg svetega Antona je eden najprepoznavnejših goriških trgov. S svojo presenetljivo odprtostjo, pravokotno obliko in harmoničnimi proporcijami deluje kot mestni atrij. Svojo značilno podobo dolguje dejstvu, da je bil nekoč samostanski križni hodnik – srce minoritskega samostana, ki je na tem mestu deloval vse od 13. stoletja.

Danes tlakovana površina razkriva tloris cerkve sv. Katarine oziroma še starejše kapelice, ki je nekoč stala na sredi dvorišča. Arkadni hodniki, ki še vedno obkrožajo tri strani trga, so ohranjen del prvotnega kompleksa. V 17. stoletju, ko je samostan doživljal večje preobrazbe, se je uveljavila legenda, da je za njegov nastanek zaslužen sv. Anton Padovanski. V času jožefinskih reform je bil samostan ukinjen, kmalu zatem pa predelan v vojašnico in bolnišnico za napoleonske čete. Leta 1825 je novi lastnik kompleksa, Giacomo Vogel, v levem kotu starega portika postavil novo kapelo, posvečeno sv. Antonu Padovanskemu, in v nišo nad vhodom umestil njegov kip.

Na levi strani trga stoji renesančna palača Strassoldo, danes najprestižnejši hotel v mestu. Jeseni 1836 se je vanjo naselil izgnani francoski kralj Karel X. Burbonski skupaj s svojim dvorom.

Na nasprotni strani se dviga Palača Lantieri, znana tudi kot Schönhaus (“lepa hiša”) – nekdanja lovska rezidenca goriških grofov, pozneje pa v lasti ene najstarejših plemiških družin v mestu. Za njenimi zidovi se skrivajo freske iz 16. stoletja, obdaja pa jo čudovit vrt. Palača je občasno odprta za javnost. V preteklosti je stala tik ob vratih, skozi katera je vodila pot proti Dunaju in osrčju habsburškega imperija – to je bil glavni vhod v mesto. Trg je bil tudi prva mestna tržnica, saj so tukaj okoliški kmetje prodajali svoje pridelke.

O pomembnosti Lantierijeve palače pričajo tudi imena slavnih osebnosti, ki so tu prenočili: med njimi Augustin Cauchy, Carlo Goldoni, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Friedrich Schiller, Napoleon Bonaparte, Giacomo Casanova, papež Pij VI.

ENG

Piazza Sant’Antonio is one of the most recognisable squares in Gorizia. With its striking openness, rectangular shape and harmonious proportions, it resembles an urban atrium. Its distinctive appearance is owed to the fact that it was once a monastic cloister – the heart of the Minorite monastery that stood on this site from the 13th century onwards.

Today, the paved surface reveals the floor plan of the Church of Saint Catherine, or possibly of an even older chapel that once stood in the middle of the courtyard. The arcaded walkways that still enclose three sides of the square are a preserved part of the original complex. In the 17th century, during a period of major transformation for the monastery, a legend took root claiming that Saint Anthony of Padua was responsible for its founding. During the Josephine reforms, the monastery was dissolved and soon after converted into a military barracks and hospital for Napoleonic troops. In 1825, the new owner of the complex, Giacomo Vogel, had a new chapel built in the left corner of the old portico, dedicated to Saint Anthony of Padua, and placed his statue in the niche above the entrance.

On the left side of the square stands the Renaissance Palazzo Strassoldo, today the city’s most prestigious hotel. In the autumn of 1836, the exiled French king Charles X of Bourbon took up residence there with his court.

On the opposite side rises Palazzo Lantieri, also known as Schönhaus (“beautiful house”) – once a hunting lodge of the Counts of Gorizia, and later owned by one of the city’s oldest noble families. Behind its walls are frescoes from the 16th century, and it is surrounded by a splendid garden. The palace is occasionally open to the public. In the past, it stood right next to the gate that led towards Vienna and the heart of the Habsburg Empire – it was the main entrance to the city. The square also served as Gorizia’s first marketplace, where local farmers would sell their produce.       

The importance of Palazzo Lantieri is also reflected in the names of the famous figures who stayed there: among them Augustin Cauchy, Carlo Goldoni, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Friedrich Schiller, Napoleon Bonaparte, Giacomo Casanova, and Pope Pius VI.