A Texas-born princess in a luxurious Rome home that contains the only known ceiling painted by Caravaggio ended up on the street Thursday after a court-ordered eviction in the latest chapter of a dispute with the heirs of one of the aristocratic families Romans.
THE Princess Rita Jenrette Boncompagni Ludovisiwidow and formerly known as Rita Carpenter, held out as long as he could at the Casino dell’Aurora, awaiting the arrival of the carabinieri on Thursday morning. They waited with her all night, her Ukrainian housekeeper, Olgaand her daughter and two young grandchildren, who fled Kiev last year after the Russian invasion.
But with the morning came the eviction of the princess, last wife of the late Prince Nicolò Boncompagni Ludovisi.
In January, the judge of Rome Miriam Iappelli ordered the carabinieri of the via Veneto police station to evacuate it, accusing the princess, among other things, of failing to keep the house in “good shape” after the collapse of an external wall. Once the notice period has elapsed, the decree obliges the carabinieri to evict those who continue to live, take possession of the property, change the locks and “take or destroy” any remaining furniture or documents.
The house, located next to the elegant Via Veneto, belongs to the Ludovisi family from the beginning of the XVII century. Following the death of Prince Nicolò Boncompagni Ludovisi in 2018, the property became the subject of a inheritance dispute between the children of his first marriage and his third wifePrincess Rita, born in San Antonio, Texas, whom he married in 2009.
A palace from 1570
The children argue that the house, built in 1570, belongs to them, that their grandfather intended them to inherit it and that their late father mistreated them and mismanaged their fortune. They mounted a multi-pronged legal campaign to gain control of the property so they could sell it.
One of the sons, Bante Boncompagni Ludovisi, took to Twitter on Wednesday to praise the eviction order de Iappelli and claim the right of children to the house and its contents.
Widow Boncompagni Ludovisi says she and her husband worked diligently restore the house as best they could, and adds that she tried to negotiate with her late husband’s children. In a statement provided to the Associated Press on Wednesday, she called her eviction imminent. “unexpected and unfair”.
“What a brutal end my beautiful life with my beloved Nicolò“, he wrote.
struggle for succession
The eviction order was the culmination of a bitter succession saga where the home was auctioned off by court order last year and given a court-assessed value at 471 million euros.
After the minimum bid of €353 million failed to find a buyer in the first auction, the price was progressively lowered in a series of subsequent auctions, with more scheduled until a buyer was found.
The property, also known as Villa Ludovisi, is famous for caravaggio gracing a small room off a spiral staircase to the second floor.
the caravaggio
It was commissioned in 1597 by a diplomat and patron of the arts who asked the then young painter to decorate the ceiling of the small room which was used as an alchemy laboratory.
He Mural 2.75 meters wide, depicting Jupiter, Pluto and Neptune, is unusual: it is not a fresco, but oil on chalkand is the only ceiling mural known to have been painted by Caravaggio.
The American princess was married to former South Carolina Representative John Jenrette Jr.
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Source: Clarin
Mary Ortiz is a seasoned journalist with a passion for world events. As a writer for News Rebeat, she brings a fresh perspective to the latest global happenings and provides in-depth coverage that offers a deeper understanding of the world around us.