Le château intérieur: art, espace et dévotion dans les palais des cardinaux de Rome au XVIe siècle

Uittreksel

At the dawn of the Counter-Reformation, prelates were required to live more modestly and to curb their passion for art and architecture. Despite this, cardinals in the Rome region continued their lavish patronage. New constructions or renovations of palaces, interiors entirely painted in fresco—the prelates' residences displayed a distinctly ostentatious character. It is no wonder that the role of palaces and their decor in the staging of power has been well documented. But certain spaces within these dwellings, intended for the highest members of the clergy, also served for the practice of devotion. Fannie Caron-Roy examines, for the first time, the decoration of the chapels and studioli in Rome's palaces in order to reveal their devotional functions and draw conclusions about the cardinals' spiritual behavior in the domestic sphere. Indeed, it reveals the profound concern of the princes of the Church for their salvation and the role of art in fostering fruitful devotional practices within their homes. More than a simple analysis of the rooms and the works they contain, this book establishes connections between the different spaces of the palaces. It thus demonstrates that the devotional behavior of cardinals in Counter-Reformation Rome could constitute a spiritual journey, an inner sanctuary, in which art played a fundamental role.