Palazzo Calceopulo

fragment of the memory of ancient Constantinople in Gerace

The palace retains traces of its first construction, which dates back to the second half of the fifteenth century. It was probably Bishop Atanasio Calceopulo from Constantinople, and closely linked to Cardinal Bessarion, who established its location near the municipal seat, overlooking the square he defined as the civic curia of the city. The building was supposed to be the residence of the bishop's family, which Calceopulo had brought with him to Gerace after his appointment a few years after the fall of the Byzantine Empire. The traces of the fifteenth-century palace are represented by two-tone stone frames, according to a very widespread style not only in the city, but also in other towns in Calabria and Sicily. Of particular importance is the coat of arms placed on the ashlar corner of the facade, on which an ancient bronze gate is depicted, which allows the dating to be clarified. In 1472 the bishop in fact changed his surname 'Chalcheopoulos', which means 'coppersmith', ennobling it into 'Chalcheopylos', which means 'bronze door', thus recalling the famous entrance to the Great Palace of Constantinople.