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Architectural Culture of the Early Modern Eastern Adriatic

Project description

Where politics, economy and religion meet architecture

An international research group will investigate the impact of shifts within political, religious, cognitive and economic spheres in the borderland area of the Eastern Adriatic coast between the 15th and 18th centuries. The focus will be on architecture. Specifically, the EU-funded AdriArchCult project will explore the impact of related changes in terms of both consumption and production. The political and economic consolidation of Venetian and Dubrovnik Republics, as well as the Habsburg Empire in the area, war and commerce with the Ottomans will also be considered. Other factors include the spread of revival of antiquity and Catholic Revival and how it fuelled the need for architectural creation with certain functional and symbolic characteristics. On the production side, the project will focus on the systems of provision of materials and organisation of construction sites.

Objective

During the 15th century, the political process of reducing the Eastern Adriatic, here considered as encompassing what is now littoral of Slovenia, Croatia and Montenegro, to a thin strip of border territories substantially separated from the continental massive to which they belong, reached its conclusion. The insularity of its large natural archipelago, i.e. almost exclusive dependence on the maritime communications, became characteristic even of mainland coastal towns, with lasting consequences. The project explores the impact of this change in the area between 15th and 18th c., focusing on architecture as the most evident materialization of a culture and its transformations. The goal is to examine the architectural culture in question in terms of both consumption and production. Factors such as political and economic consolidation of Venetian and Dubrovnik Republics as well as Habsburg Empire in the area, war and commerce with the Ottomans, but also the quick spread of revival of antiquity and the Catholic Revival, all fuelled the need for architectural creation with certain functional and symbolic characteristics, setting the cultural standards. On the other hand, the economics of production of architecture consisted of interrelated systems of the provision of materials (esp. Istrian stone) and organisation of construction sites, which, given the ease of the sea transport, resulted in an active market for architectural goods. This approach will provide an original contribution to the understanding of cultural practices that not only produced specific buildings, the most significant among which are now listed as World Heritage sites but also put into circulation ancient and modern models, techniques and materials for a European-wide audience. Moreover, it will investigate the trans-border and trans-confessional character of the architectural market, thus providing an innovative model for a study of such phenomena across Europe.

Host institution

UNIVERSITA CA' FOSCARI VENEZIA
Net EU contribution
€ 1 999 750,00
Address
DORSODURO 3246
30123 Venezia
Italy

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Region
Nord-Est Veneto Venezia
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Links
Total cost
€ 1 999 750,00

Beneficiaries (1)