The palatium domini pape , as the papal palace used to be called, was built as part of a political and strtegic plan carried out by the Roman curia, which aimed at increasing its influence by means of architectural structures placed in the nearby pontifical seats. Two iscriptions, visibile on the wll facing Via Cintia and on the loggia, remind us that the building was initiated in 1283 on the basis of a project of magister Andrea and completed in 1288. The original structure possessed a flight of steps (later demolished) by which one could have reached thepresent loggia. Today what remains of the old building can be seen by the visitor; i.e. the magnificent  hall, the vaults and the loggia. A few stone iscriptions inform us that during the pontificate of Bonifacio VIII an arched gallery was attached to the building. The construction bridged the present Via Cintia and enabled the whole structure be greatly enlarged. The first pope to be Niccolò IV. The palace hosted a magnificent celebration on the 29th of May 1289 (Whitsun) of the coronation of the King of sicily and Gerusalem Carloo II D'Angiò: the crown was placed on the Monarch's head by the Pope himself.