The strange inscription on Palazzo Vendramin Calergi on the Grand Canal in Venice

Among the many majestic palaces that overlook the Grand Canal, Palazzo Vendramin Callergi, now home of the Venice Casino, is one of the most beautiful and majestic.

It was built by Andrea Loredan and designed by the great architect Mauro Codussi, at the end of 1400s; due to various dynastic events it passed first to the Calergi and then to the Vendramin... Here the great German composer Richard Wagner died in 1883.

The beautiful façade in Istria stone holds the Latin inscription: NOT NOBIS DOMINE NOT NOBIS. It is derived from the Old Testament (Psalms 1115: 1) and was the beginning of a famous formula of the Templars:' not to us, Lord, not to us but to your name it gives glory.

This listing would symbolize the humility of the Templars who fought only for the glory of God and not for personal gain. We know that Andrea Loredan was close to the ideas and legacy of the Templars, so that it became the motto of the Loredan family. The oak leaves around the inscription represented in the Latin tradition the defender of the city, that is, one who is committed to the public good, a theme much loved by the Venetian nobility of the time.

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