Giovanni Antonio Medrano

rdf:langString Giovanni Antonio Medrano

rdf:langString Giovanni Antonio Medrano (1703–1760) was a Sicilian born in Sciacca (rather than in Palermo) in 1703, and who had entered the service of Spain in 1719 as a Military Architect, although it is probable that he had already joined the army of the Marquis of Verboom Jorge Próspero de Verboom, in the Sicilian campaign of 1718, since in December of that same year he appeared as extraordinary engineer and sub-lieutenant of this body, and in 1720 he worked in the Principality of Catalonia. He reappears in 1729, when Medrano was commissioned to organize the roads for the journey of the royal family, headed by Philip V and Isabel de Farnese, from Madrid to Seville. He became a brigadier in the army of Charles of Bourbon, while he was king of the Two Sicilies. Following the Battle of Bitonto in 1734, Charles had Medrano construct a commemorative obelisk in Bitonto. Medrano’s career is particularly studied, from his stay in Seville as a teacher for the royal princes, and his influence on Prince Charles’ architectural taste, to his projects in the kingdom of Naples or the royal palace at Capodimonte.