Monastic and Convent Life as a City Phenomenon

Abstract

In visual arts, historiographical writings, and literary texts, the image of the church recurs as a feature of civic identity and celebratory landmarks. Chapter 16 argues that Jacopo de’ Barbari’s View breaks with the tradition of “sacred topography” to depict monastic and convent communities as an integral part of Venetian socioeconomic life. Nearly spying beyond the impermeable spiritual walls, the artist captures the exigencies of the cenobites as well as their ties to the city. The abundance of orderly orchards, gardens, and vineyards that frame their precincts recalls these ecclesiastical spaces as fundamental food suppliers. While the range of accommodation facilities within the city’s maze—docks, boathouses, and magazines—elucidates the clergy’s involvement in everyday life activities, the strips of unsolidified soil testify to its adamant drainage activities. In the View religious life is not solely a spiritual and secluded world but a dynamic force that shapes the urban fabric.