Ala Napoleonica

The building which closes the west end of the Piazza San Marco is the Procuratie Nuovissime. More commonly known as the Ala Napoleonica, it was designed by the architects Giovanni Antonio Antolini, Giuseppe Soli and Lorenzo Santi as the residence of the Viceroy of Venice (Napoleon's stepson, Eugene de Beauharnais) when the city was part of the Kingdom of Italy (1806-14). In order to build the Ala Napoleonica, parts of the Procuratie Vecchie and the Procuratie Nuove had to be demolished as well as the church of San Geminiano, the work of Jacopo Sansovino. 

The attic floor is decorated with 14 statues of Roman emperors and allegorical scenes. The space in the centre (see above) was reserved for some form of glorification of Napoleon, but the emperor was defeated before it was carried out. The building was only completed when Venice was under Austrian rule, when it served as the official residence of the Hapsburg court during their not infrequent visits to the city. ​
Ala Napoleonica, Piazza San Marco, Venice
Ala Napoleonica
Detail of the frieze, Ala Napoleonica, Piazza Sab Marco, Venice
Frieze of the Ala Napoleonica