The Venetian Doge Leonardo Donà and Architecture

I am conducting research on a key political figure of late sixteenth-century Venice, Leonardo Donà dalle Rose (1536 – 1612), who became doge at the end of his career. He is famous in political history for his role in the episode of the Venetian Interdict of 1606 – 1607, the culminating moment of a clash with the papacy. The goal of this study is to explore fully his unique role in the building of Venice. He was a member of all the commissions responsible for the city’s major architectural works of the period — the church of the Redentore, the urbanization of the Fondamenta Nuove, the palace of the Procuratie Nuove, the Rialto Bridge, the basilica of San Giorgio Maggiore, and the new town of Palmanova — in addition to overseeing the construction of his own palace and tomb. He actively participated in the design process, if not as an amateur architect, certainly as a project manager.