THE RITUAL USE OF PUBLIC SPACE IN RENAISSANCE ROME (URBAN, ITALY)

The religious and secular rituals of Rome during the 15th and 16th centuries were mirrors of societal relationships and political ideology. The impressive urban planning and architectural activity begun during the reign of Nicholas V in the 1450s and continued throughout the period was in part a response to the need for proper ritual settings. The scenographic addition of straight streets (such as Borgo Nuovo), regularized squares (such as the Campidoglio), and imposing facades (such as the Pal. Farnese) though not without practical utility, functioned best in the service of ritual. Rome was riddled with internal and external conflicts, and the core of the thesis is that rituals and their spatial manifestations were attempts to symbolically resolve conflict. The study contains a systematic survey and analysis of the major Roman ceremonies and festivals that had spatial implications or consequences during the period of 1450-1590. It is organized according to ritual types: annual and extemporaneous processions, including the two major processions of Corpus Domini, the Assumption vigil, and the papal inaugural parades (the "Possesso"); the festivals of Carnival; official entries; and executions. Using maps and charts the study follows the development of these ceremonies, and in particular their spatial response to historical events and changes in ideology. The history that emerges is one of a city engaged in the promotion of appearances, in which architecture and ritual served as a means for establishing social identity and political power.