Siena - University of Siena - Palazzo del Rector, Italy
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Rector’s Palace and Historical Archives (Museum System of the University of Siena) - Fondazione Musei Senesi
Rector’s Palace and Historical Archives (Museum System of the University of Siena).
Museum System of University of Siena (Sistema Museale dell'Universita di Siena - SIMUS).
The heart of University of Siena is the Rector's Palace. The museum contains artifacts, documents and objects that represent the University's historical past. The University's activities were carried out in the Casa della Sapienza (House of Knowledge), from the Middle Ages until 1808. By order of the French government in 1808, study was stopped at Siena. It would not be fully restored until the Restoration. The University was moved to its current site in 1816, where it had been located at the Jesuit College of San Vigilio.
The original entrance to the Palazzo was located on the opposite side of the Church of San Vigilio. In 1892, Giuseppe Partini, an architect, created a new Via Banchi di Sotto entrance giving the courtyard its present appearance. Visitors can cross the threshold to experience a journey through University history from the Middle Ages up to the present. Thanks to a variety of items that are kept in special display cases, or in the Historical Archives, a chronologically organized exhibit spread over six rooms, they can embark on the journey.
The University's Historical Archive houses documentation from 1560 to 1955. This allows visitors to explore the University's history and reconstruct the biographies and teaching experiences of its most prominent figures. This archive is part of an \"historical path\", which consists of various documents and objects that document the key moments in the history of the University.