History of Art and Architecture: Special Topics - Conclave: Architecture under Political Disruption

Abstract

Architecture serves as a litmus test of how political power represents itself under unstable conditions, and the case of the Roman Papacy is emblematic. By incorporating perspectives based on gender, social status, profession, and political agency, the course examines ephemeral artefacts, visible and secret architectures, and the public spaces shaped by the Pontiff’s public and private ceremonies.

Objective

- Critical approach to theories of historical narration. - Interdisciplinary reading of written and visual primary sources. - Familiarisation with archival review of early modern sources.

Content

Late 20th century Western democracy accustomed us to forms of power transmission marked by predictable and ritualistic transitions. From the extension of voting rights to diverse segments of society based on gender, social class, and income, to the formation of representative institutions, all have become part of a shared and verifiable modus operandi. However, recent events demonstrate that political legitimacy and stability are based on fragile balances determined by seemingly unpredictable conflicting events. Architecture has always played a crucial role in the self-representation of a sovereign’s power. This is particularly the case with the Roman Papacy, a unique instance among elected absolute monarchies, whose centuries-old mechanisms of power renewal have been based upon a well-established public and private ceremonial. This elective course considers transitional moments of disruption including the Papal election (conclave), coronation (possesso), and funeral (sede vacante) as lenses to explore how ephemeral artefacts, visible and secret architectures, and public spaces defined the Pontiffs’ power transitions both in the past and present, tracing these dynamics back to the 16th and 17th centuries. The course adopts an interdisciplinary approach to examine architectures of various scales and purposes. It combines lectures from the tutor and guest speakers with collaborative work on written and visual sources, including drawings, maps, books of ceremonies, letters and memoirs, diplomatic correspondence, travel accounts, iconographic cycles, and papal legislation. The goal is to provide an analysis of papal spatial construct(s) by incorporating a variety of perspectives based on gender studies, social status, profession, and political agency. The final individual outcome will consist of an annotated analysis of a visual and textual source from a case study chosen by the student.

Resources