In 1493, Duke Ercole I of Este commissioned towers for the north and east sectors of Ferrara’s walls from his court architect Biagio Rossetti, along with the Tower of St. John the Baptist, at the end of corso Porta Mare.
Completed in 1497 along with other key elements in the defence of the addizione Erculea (Herculean addition), the tower was bigger than those on the north-eastern curtain wall and intended to protect one of the main gates of the newly built city. The gates of St. Benedict and St. John Baptist – adjacent to the tower on the eastern entrance to the road then known as the "via dei Prioni" – were "used and manned" from December 1497.
Restored in 1991 as part of the "Progetto Mura", the keep is typical of transitional military architecture; originally it had no roof and was characterized by battlements, the traces of which are still visible. The gate of St. John Baptist, known as porta Mare following the French occupation of 1796, was completely destroyed in 1908. The tower of St. John Baptist (or porta Mare) had a variety of uses in the 19th century and, following the “Progetto Mura” restoration, has become a prestigious cultural space, housing the "Jazz Club" since 1999.
Emilia-Romagna Film Commission
Viale Aldo Moro 38 — 40127 Bologna
Phone: +39 051 5278753
Email: filmcom@regione.emilia-romagna.it
