Neoclassicism and local artistic tradition in the sepulchral monuments of the Certosa cemetery in Bologna during the napoleonic era and the restoration

Abstract

The Cemetery of Bologna was founded in 1801 in the former monastery of the “Certosini” (Carthusians, a monastic order dissolved shortly before this period by the Napoleonic government). The cemetery is a special place where the architectonic and natural beauty of this ancient site blend in with the funerary sculpture, painting and architecture, but at the same time presents particularly important implications with regard to urban planning . This paper examines the development of the monumental Neoclassical section, whose expansion centred around the fourteenth to sixteenth century cloister. It was in these arches that the Þ rst monumental tombs in the Carthusian monastery, known as the “Certosa”, were built and involved the work of most of the local painters, sculptors and architects from the Napoleonic era and the early days of the Restoration. The number and grandeur of these works of art, unequivocally demonstrate how, during the Þ rst half of the nineteenth century, this site was the most artistically s ourishing in the city, as well as being a constantly expanding exhibition of contemporary art. For this reason, learned Italians and foreign travellers s ocked to visit this place when passing through Bologna. The cemetery, of international renown, was a source of great pride for the Bolognese, and was added to, by becoming the frequent subject of literary works. The town authorities soon wanted to promote its prestige by enriching and enlarging the site, as well as introducing methodical checks in the mid 1810s, regulating the artistic quality of the sepulchral monuments. In this way, the empty spaces and cloisters of the exmonastery continued to be adorned with an increasing number of funeral monuments.