Senate Chamber. This hall was also known as the Sala dei Pregadi, because the Doge asked the members of the Senate to take part in the meetings held here. The Senate which met in this chamber was one of the oldest public institutions in Venice; it had first been founded in the 13th century and then gradually evolved over time, until by the 16th century it was the body mainly responsible for overseeing political and financial affairs in such areas as manufacturing industries, trade and foreign policy. In effect, it was a more limited sub-committee of the Great Council, and its members were generally drawn from the wealthiest Venetian families.There are two clocks in the Sala del Senato, both with blue painted centers and one gold hand. One clock had the twelve signs of the zodiac circling it instead of numbers. The other had 24 hours circling it in Roman numerals.