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Hall of Lions and Leopards

You have just crossed the threshold of the Hall of Lions and Leopards: official receptions and banquets have been held here since the 15th century.The depictions you see all around you are called 'heraldic deeds': they include symbols, accompanied by mottos, used to represent a person, a family or to commemorate a specific historical event. Let us look at them in more detail.A woven green branch frames a red circle within which you can see a leopard, crouching and leashed to a trunk. A scroll between its paws reads: "chocyr m'esst dyt". This motto in Old French can be translated as 'having to choose' or 'my duty was to choose'.
Uguccione Contrari, the lord of the castle, chose the leopard as his personal symbol in heraldry starting in 1413. But why does such a fierce feline seem so restrained? The explanation is suggested by the other heraldic deed, in which a lion stands proud against a blue background displaying a scroll with a motto in the Germanic language: 'wor bas bas', meaning 'towards the best' or 'going beyond'. This emblem evokes Nicolò III d'Este, the Marquis of Ferrara and Modena. Indeed, he was responsible for awarding the fiefdom of Vignola to his first minister, commander and diplomat Uguccione Contrari. Therefore, even if the two share a strong temperament, there is a substantial difference between them. The leopard, or Uguccione, chose to put his qualities at the service of a higher power: that of the lion of Nicolò d'Este.The agreement between the two houses is symbolically celebrated in the vault, where the Este coat of arms with a silver eagle on a blue background flanks that of the Contraris.
Right in the centre between the two, you can see a medallion depicting the mystical lamb, which lastly reminds us that Nicolò and Uguccione commanded the papal troops, sealing the alliance between the Church and the Este family.