Julian Palace

Julian Palace
Palatium Julii
Exterior of the "Caroline Hall" of the Julian Palace
General information
Location	Urceopolis, Archduchy of Urceopolis
Country	Urcea
Named for	Julian dynasty
Construction started	ca. 500 AD
Renovated	791 AD 1105 AD 1303 AD 1608 AD 1870 AD 2004 AD
Owner	Government of Urcea
Known for	Official residence of the Apostolic King of Urcea Seat of the Government of Urcea

The Julian Palace is a complex of buildings which serves as the royal residence and the primary seat of the Government of Urcea. The structure - a sprawling, extensive series of connected buildings built over time - contains the treasury of the Julian Throne and Crown Jewels of Urcea, as well as the throne room, royal apartments, chambers for both the Conshilía Purpháidhe and Conshilía Daoni, in addition to office space for leadership of both councils, including offices for the Procurator and Chancellor and Temporary President. The Palace comprises much of the modern Urceopolitan borough of New City. While the Julian Palace is nominally the official royal residence of the Apostolic King of Urcea, the King and his courtiers primarily reside in Castle Welute outside of the city of Urceopolis proper.

History

The Julian Palace began life in the early 6th century as a relatively large home of the Julii called the Domus Julii. With the fall of Great Levantia, the custom of noble families in Urceopolis had evolved to building relatively large urban estates that could be fortified. Though not especially politically influential, the Julii began construction on their large fortified manor, which was completed by 515. Levantine contemporaries note that the Domus Julii was far larger and more impressive than that of the Brutonii and Neronii, despite the power held by those families. The distance from the Levantine Forum and position on the less prestigious Caeline Hill attests to the political and social status of the Julii at the time even considering the large size of the structure. This earliest portion of the Domus Julii has been entirely subsumed by later additions to the structure, although walls and foundations of this house were found in 20th century archaeological digs.

The fortunes of the Julii, who had been a relatively obscure family during the heights of Great Levantine power, did not change with the organization of the Duchy of Urceopolis in the early 500s. The major reversal of fortunes came as a prominent son of the family, Gaius Julius Cicurinus won fame on the battlefield on behalf of the Latin League against Hištanšahr, and, in 749, Julius was elected Dux of Urceopolis. Living and doing business in the Domus Julii, the complex began to be an important center of Urceopolitan civic life. With the advent of the Levantine Empire and elevation of the Julii to hereditary control over the newfound Archduchy of Urceopolis, the Domus Julii became the focal point of political power and the home of the hereditary Archdukes of Urceopolis. Accordingly, the first Archduke began a major renovation of the Domus Julii in 791. The renovation transformed the building from the reserved mansion of Late Antiquity to a towering Levanesque building based on the recently constructed Imperial Palace in Corcra. It was completed in 804, after the death of Archduke Julius, who would soon become known to history as Saint Julius of the Caeline. The Domus Julii became increasingly known as the Palatium Julii, the Julian Palace, as its position as home of the hereditary ruling Archduke was solidified.

As the Palace expanded and took on both additional area and prestige, parts of it fell out of gradual disfavor or disuse. During the Aedanicad, many of these areas were reopened as museums or put to other productive uses. Today, many buildings in the Palace complex are open to the public for both touring and commercial use.

Layout and segments

The Julian Palace covers an area of nearly 100 acres and is comprised of several dozen separate buildings and wings which have been traditionally grouped into eleven distinct areas.

Palace of the Golden Bull

The "Palace of the Golden Bull" is a series of structures built primarily in the 13th century and includes all remnants of earlier structures, including what remains of the original Domus Julii, largely constrained to its footprint with inclusion of some archaeological surviving elements of the Domus. The structures are so named for the Golden Bull of 1098, reflecting the association of these buildings with the the Early Kingdom Period.

Many structures of the Palace of the Golden Bull reflect the reduced size of the city and need for a strong keep-like structure atop the Caeline Hill. Large stone walls surrounded this structure which have since been incorporated into the palace as structural foundation, as the walls themselves have been "sandwiched" between expanded portions of the Palace of the Golden Bull and the Caeline Palace.

Treasury

Much of the existing structure of the Palace of the Golden Bull now contains the Royal Treasury, both in terms of the expansive public displays as well as secured storage.

Caeline Palace

The Caeline Palace is considered by many to be the "heart" of the palace complex and is closely associated with the modern ruling House de Weluta. It was constructed after the conclusion of the Great Confessional War to suit the needs of a vastly more powerful, prestigious, and complex Urcean monarchy and government, and was completed in the first decade of the 17th century.

Throne room and royal residence

The throne room also hosts the annual Presentation of the Debutantes.

National Hall

The "National Hall" is a structure built between 1862 and 1870 adjoining the Caroline Hall and incorporating some rooms which were previously ancillary parts of the Caeline Palace. It is so named because it is the home of the Conshilía Daoni, including office space for its leaders, the legislative chamber itself, and various committee and other rooms necessary for the functioning of the body.

Daoni chamber

The legislative chambers of the Conshilía Daoni.

Auxiliary committee rooms

Besides committee meetings, the auxiliary rooms of National Hall are used for a variety of legislative purposes, such as a 2014 press conference shown here.