This section is from "The American Cyclopaedia", by George Ripley And Charles A. Dana. Also available from Amazon: The New American Cyclopędia. 16 volumes complete..
Urbixo (Anc. Jjroinum Hortenae), a city of Italy, in the Marches, capital of the province of Pesaro ed Urbino, on an isolated hill in the midst of bleak mountains, 20 m. S. W. of Pesaro; pop. of the town proper about 6,000, and of the whole commune 15,000. It is the seat of an archbishop. The old walls impart to the city a feudal aspect. It is celebrated as the birthplace of Raphael, and for many historical, artistic, and literary associations. The cathedral and other churches contain remarkable paintings. The finest public building, still unrivalled in the cinque cento style, is the ducal palace, built by Frederick of Montefeltro from the designs of Lauranna. The free university dates from 1671, and in 1875 was attended by 71 students. The city also possesses a lyceum, a gymnasium, a technological institute, and an academy of science. In the 16th century it had celebrated manufactures of earthenware, and in the 18th of firearms, needles, and pins, and the latter are still extensive. - Urbino was of some importance under the Romans. In the 6th century it was taken by Belisarius. Pope Sixtus IV. in 1474 bestowed the title of duke upon the counts of Montefeltro, the local rulers.
Francesco Maria della Rovere, a nephew of Pope Julius II., succeeded to the duchy in 1508 as the son-in-law of the last duke of the Montefeltro line. Under this dynasty the court of Urbino rivalled that of Ferrara in magnificence and in the patronage of art and literature; its most illustrious associations were with Raphael and Tasso. In 1631, on the extinction of the house of Rovere, the duchy, then comprising hundreds of palaces and many towns, became one of the immediate possessions of the Papal States; and in 1860 it was incorporated with the dominions of Victor Emanuel. The anniversary of Raphael's birth and death, occurring on the same day, was solemnly celebrated at Urbino April 6, 1873, and the house in which he was born was purchased in 1874 by the Raphael academy, to be fitted up as a museum.
 
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