Genoese Palace

The Genoese Palace (Turkish: Ceneviz Sarayı; Italian: Palazzo del Comune, lit.

It was built in 1314 (damaged by fire in 1315 and repaired in 1316)[1][2] by Montano De Marini,[3] the Podestà of Galata.

[1][2] In terms of design it was modeled after the 13th-century wing of the Palazzo San Giorgio in Genoa, Italy.

[2] The front facade was later reconstructed in the 1880s with a different style and became a 5-floor office building named Bereket Han,[2] while its rear (northern) facade on Kart Çınar Street (and the remaining one-third of the palace building) has retained the materials and design of the original structure, but needs restoration.

[4] In 2021 the Genoese coat-of-arms of Luchino De Fazio,[3] the Podestà of Pera[3] (dating from c. 1446–1447),[3] on the building's surviving rear facade on Kart Çınar Street, was stolen.

The Genoese Palace (1314) in the foreground, with the Galata Tower (1348) in the background
The Genoese Palace before its front facade on Bankalar Caddesi was rebuilt with a different style in the 1880s and became known as the Bereket Han office building.