#villa dorléans
A Palermo si celebrano le nozze del conte di Parigi con Isabella d'Orleans Braganza
data: 04/1931
colore: b/n
sonoro: muto
codice filmato: A076603
Text translation:
In Palermo, it’s celebrated the marriage of the Count of Paris with Isabelle of Orléans-Braganza
0:04 Palermo. Marriage of of the Count of Paris with Isabelle of Orléans-Braganza. The Cathedral, where the marriage took place.
0:16H.E.Cardinal Lavitrano, Archbishop of Palermo.
0:30 The august spouses and the guests (lit. it’s the followers) leave the archiepiscopal palace
1:27 After the wedding ceremony
3:04AtVilla d'Orléans
Since still in the 1930s, heirs of previous Royal French Houses (which included of course Henri, the Orléanist claimant) were still exiled, the couple couldn’t marry in France. They chose Palermo because Henri’s family owned a palace there.
Palazzo d'Orléans is an 18th-century estate, opposite to Palazzo dei Normanni,in the centre of Palermo. It had firstly belonged to the Sicilian branch of the Spanish Monroy family (Hernán Cortés’ family). It later was bought by rich merchant Francesco Olivieri.
Starting 1808, Olivieri rented it to exiled PrinceLouis Philippe d'Orléans. The following year, on November 25th, the French Prince married Princess Maria Amalia di Borbone-Due Sicilie (herself exiled with her family from Naples due to the Napoleonic invasion) and bought the palace, which took the name of Palazzo d'Orléans. The couple’s first three children would be born in the Palace (Ferdinand Philippe,Louise andMarie) and the family would live in Palermo until 1814, when they were reached by the news of Napoleon’s fall. The Orléans then left Palermo headed for France, where Louis Philippe would rule as king from 1830 to 1848.
Palazzo d'Orléans, in the meantime, still belonged to the French royal family. In 1855 Maria Amalia bestowed it to his son Henri, Duke of Aumale, whom expanded the estate up to 63 hectares, buying the adjoining houses and lands. A botanic and agricolture enthusiast, the Prince developed an innovative irrigation method. At Henri’s death, in 1897, the Palace was inherited by his great-nephew,Louis Philippe Robert (grandson of Henri’s eldest brother, Ferdinand Philippe). Louis Philippe would order the last enlargement of the Palace, but also rent a large part of the adjacent land to support his exiled life
After the childless Prince’s death in Palermo, in 1926, Palazzo d'Orléans would be inherited by his eldest sister,Amélie, last Queen consort of Portugal, whom would sell it to her cousin,Jean, Duke of Guise. On February 10th, 1929, the Palace hosted the marriage of the Duke’s daughter, Françoise, to Prince Christóphoros of Greece and Denmark. Two years later, on April 8th was celebrated the marriage captured by this video. Wedding witness were: Don Carlos of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (maternal cousin of the groom), Prince Amedeo d’Aosta, Duke of Apulia (the groom’s brother-in-law), Prince Pedro Gastão of Orléans-Braganza (the bride’s brother), and Prince Adam Ludwik Czartoryski (grandson of Prince Louis of Orléans, Duke of Nemours).
In 1940, following Fascist Italy’s entering in the war against France (and the rest of the Allied Forces) Palazzo d'Orléans was confiscated and entrusted to the Banco di Sicilia. In 1943, after the Allied invasion of Sicily, the Palace was used by the US army as military headquarters (and it is in this occasion that the Palace was looted of many precious objects, like art pieces, furniture and silverware).
After the war, the building was elected as seat of the Regione Siciliana, despite still officially belonging to the Orléans. In 1950 the descendants sold circa 40 hectares of land to realise the University campus. Finally, in 1955 they sold the Palace to the Region, which still uses it as its headquartes.
The wonderful park which ornated the back of the Palace was slowly transormed into a giardino all’italiana, and was converted into Italy’s only ornithological park. Of the original park, only the ficus magnoloides planted by Louis Philippe remains.
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