End of the theatre?
We have little news of the end of the Secco Suardo theatre. The last known opera, Ottaviano in Sicilia, was performed in 1695. In 1720, Beato Angelini will write "’Bergamo is not a site for theatres. The one of the Suardi, that was united to the Theatines temple, has been destroyed," and this is the only testimony of its demolition we have. There are various possibilities that could have led to the closure of the theatre: again, the danger of fire, a reopening of grievances with the Monte di Pietà; competition between the houses, a poor economic benefit of the enterprise, or a loss of interest by the two brothers.1
Construction of the theatre and lawsuit
The works to construct the Teatro Secco Suardo began in the autumn of 1686. The palace inherited by the two brothers was in the upper part of the city, in a street named Sant’ Agata.
Some months after the beginning of the works for the construction of the theatre, something happened. The building next to the theatre, in fact, hosted the Monte di Pietà, a financial institution that lent money to the citizens in change of a gage. This type of institution was common in many cities of Italy and strictly related with the church, being also named “Sacro.” This “Sacro Monte di Pietà,” the 14th of December 1686, decided to sue the Teatro Secco Suardo: they were, in fact, struggling to find a new treasurer. As we observed earlier with regard to prejudices on theatres, it was not good for the reputation of a religious institution to have a theatre so close to them.
The lawsuit lasted several months. The Major Council of Bergamo, first appointed to deal with the case, proposed initially various solutions to the Monte. The first one was to find a solution to their safety at the own expenses of the Monte di Pietà, which they rejected. The second option, also not accepted by the institution, was moving to another building far away from the theatre, but this would have been too risky for all the assets in the Monte’s custody.
In year 1687, with a change of rectors, the problem was again submitted before to the city’s Council and then, in June, to the Venetian Senate. Ultimately, the Teatro Secco Suardo won the lawsuit, with the only clause to remove wooden parts in the connection between the theatre and the Monte di Pietà, to avoid the risk of fire. A more detailed chronology follows.
Chronology of the contrast of the theater with Monte di Pietà
- Autumn 1686: Construction period of the theatre
- 20 November 1686: the city rectors Pietro Pisani and Giulio Donado acknowledge the theatre's existence.
- 14 December 1686: the Monte di Pietà initiates the dispute. In fact, the Monte di Pietà had difficulty finding a treasurer, due to the contingencies of the new construction and the reputation the place could acquire.
- Reply from the Major Council of Bergamo: need to find a solution to guarantee the Monte di Pietà's indemnity (at its own expense).
- The Monte di Pietà does not accept the reply and re-proposes the problem to the Council.
- Second answer, after a municipal expertise: the Monte di Pietà must move away from the theatre.
- The Monte di Pietà does not accept this option either for two reasons: the site was safer in the Upper Town, and in the move they could lose assets, which would be at their own expense.
- Change of city rectors. Pisani and Donado were in favour of the theatre and did not submit the case to the Senate of Venice, to which Bergamo was subject. Once the rectors were changed, the Monte di Pietà was able to present a new dispute on 2 May 1687. The proximity of a theatre presented two risks to the institution. The first was the danger of fire. The second, the reputation of the place and also the possibility of criminals entering at night, as the city walls would remain open during opera performances.
- 21 June 1687: the request is presented to the Venetian Senate.
- Giuseppe and Marco Secco Suardo, the two brothers who owned the theatre, find a procurator at the Venice Magistrate's Court.
- August 1687: final decision of the Venetian Court. The theatre had to remove all wooden connections with the Monte di Pietà at its own expense, to avoid the danger of fire. This meant that the theatre could continue its work and build an entrepreneurial attempt on the Venetian model.
