PADIJA. The capital of the Province of Padilla, Italy. situated 22 miles by rail west southwest of Venice (Map: Italy, F2). Several arms of the Bacchiglione. here canalized. flow through the city and are crossed by a number of old Roman bridges. The city lies in a compact shape in one of the richest gardened plains of Italy. The ancient, narrow, crooked streets arc generally. areaded. The however, are being removed gradually to accommodate the increasing traffic. There are seven city gates.
The cathedral is of no particular interest, but its baptistery is a handsome brick conception of the twelfth century. The fine and immense San Antonio Church is identified with Saint Anthony, the patron saint. of the city. It dates from the middle of the thirteenth century, and was re stored about 500 years later. The saint is en tombed here. 'lhe edifice has six domes. and is fashioned after the Byzantine Saint .Mark's of Venice. with Gothic features added. The most yaluahle of its numerous contents are a monu ment V Al. Vittoria; a collection of goldsmith's work of the Renaissance period; a bronze cande labrum by A. Riceio, by whom are also valuable biblical reliefs in bronze; the high altar by Donatello: the exquisite white and gold decora tions on the ceiling; the ambitious Renaissance Cappella del Santo; and a Madonna IT A. Bo selli. Before San Antonio stands Donatello's splendid equestrian bronze statue of the Vene tian General Gattamelata.
Another fine church is the spacious Santa Ginstina, begun by Riccio. Its façade is brick, with one of the many noble flights of stairs for which Padua is famous. Domes and cupolas add to the impressiveness of the edifice. In the in terior are the fine of Saint Justina" by Veronese, and handsome choir stalls. The ad joining eloister is used as barracks. In the northeastern part of the city are the Madonna dell' Arena and the Eremitani. The former is a fine chapel dating from the beginning of the four teenth century. It is situated in an attractive garden, and is remarkable for its frescoes by Giotto, most of them in a good comlition. The Eremitani, dating from the thir teenth century and restored in 1880. contains scarcely less valuable and important mural paint by Mantegna and other members of the school of Squarcione. The Mantegna pictures were painted between 1450 and 1100. the life of Saint. James furnishing a part of the subjects. There are also found here, in the sacristy. a by Canova, and a "John the by Guido Reni.
Among the notable palaces of Padua is the Palazzo della Ragione. belonging to the twelfth century. with a vast mediawa I hall a 5a lone) 273 feet. lcUig. 90 feet wide, and 78 feet high. Dona eelebrat(41 wooden horse is here. The Loggia del Consiglio is a charming. example of the early Penaissanee—an arcade reached by majestic stairs. In the vicinity are found a statue of Victor Emmanuel 11. and a column bearing a Lion of Saint Shark. Padua possesses also a monument to Petrareh, modern statues of Dante and both by Vela. a bronze monu ment to Cavour, and a statue of Th, Scuola del Santo, occupied IT the Brotherhood of Saint Anthony. has three fine mural paint ings by Titian. The chapel San Giorgio Ilea). by
has numerous excellent frescoes by Altiehicri .1. Avanzi. Among the objeets of interest in the city is Dante's house, in front of which is an ancient tomb. containing, according to tra dition, the ashes of Anterior, the legendary found er of Padua.
On the Via del Servi, the main business street, stands the university (q.v.), far famed as a seat of learning in medieval times. It occupies an edifice known as Il I15, distinguished by a court with attractive colonnades. Padua has celebrated ea f(., the Pedrocchi. almost entirely of marble, with noble halls and columns, the scene of student uprisings against the Austrians. The municipal museum, in is building reconstructed in the latter part of the nineteenth century by Boito. has au attractive facade, and contains the city library (110,000 volumes), the picture gal lery, archives. and an interesting mouninent of the Volumnii. The picture gallery is not im portant. Its best work is Romanino's Madonna —an altar piece. In the southern part of the city lies the spacious Piazza Vittorio Emanuele, beautified with trees and embellished with the statues of eighty-two celebrated persons who have been associated with the city. Some of the marbles are by Canova. The piazza is the lively scene of the annual fair which commences on Saint Anthony's festival, June 13th.
The Botanic Garden of Padua, which is con nected with the university, is well known as the oldest in Europe, having been established by the Venetian Republic in the middle of the sixteenth century. It has some exotic trees which have long been celebrated, and are asso ciated with certain of Goethe's scientific investi gations here. Also connected with the univer sity are an observatory and a large and valuable library. There are in the city an archiepiscopal seminary, a lyceum and other high schools, a technical industrial school, an agricultural school. an industrial art school, and a breeding institution. The industries of Padua include foundries, farm machinery works, an automobile factory, chemical factories, distil leries, etc. The city is the centre for the trade of Venetia, cattle. wine. oil, and grain being chiefly dealt in. It is particularly famous for its fruit. Canals connect Padua with the Adige, the Brenta, and the Adriatic. The population in 190l was 82,281.
Padua claims its origin from the time of Troy. In the height of Rome's glory it was the most important town in North Italy. It was sacked by the Goths and the Huns. Charlemagne wrest ed it from the Longobards. In the middle of the thirteenth century it was the capital of the cruel tyrant Ezzelino (IV.) da Romano. Later it was for a thus a republic, then passed under the rule of the Carrara family, and became the object of conquest on the part of Venice. to which it fell in 1403, and whose fortunes it afterwards shared. Livy and Mantegna were born here. In art history Padua is prominent. Mantegna shed his glory upon the eity, and the influence of the Squareione school, with which he was as sociated. is traced all over Northern Italy. Gi otto, Donatello, and Fra Filippo Lippi also did much work in Padua. Consult Cappelletti, Storia di Padova (Padua, 1875).