The article deals with Mentorella, a sanctuary in the middle of Tivoli which is closely associated with the legend of St. Eustace. The reception of this legend in the 17th century in the work of Athanasius Kircher is presented here as an example of the Baroque understanding of the wild natural landscape. The first part deals with the legend of St. Eustace as it was known in the 17 century through the interpretation of the original version of the story by John of Damascus. Particular attention is paid to the work of the admirer of St. Eustace, the Jesuit Athanasius Kircher, who in the volume Historia Esutachio-Mariana sought to document this legend historically and find evidence of its connection with the area of Mount Vulturella in Tivoli. A crucial moment of Kircher's reflection was his emphasis on the wild and untouchable nature wich,for Kircher, was a reflection of God's principle. The importance of a place connected directly with the miraculous conversion of St. Eustace was also supported by the fact that there was a strong link to the Benedectine order here - ist founder, St. Benedict, came here to pray. In his memory, the sanctuary of Mentorella with the church of St. Maria delle Grazie was founded here with the chapel of St. Eustace on the rock where the saint's miraculous vision was to have taken place. A reconstruction from the 12th century determined the appearance of the complex with its early Christian center, and the area dilapidated in the 17th century. A. Kircher managed to organize the reconstruction of the entire location through a newly awoken interest in not only the legend but also in its wild natural surroundings. This was joined in by the Habsburg Emperor Leopold I himself as well as by a significant patron of Baroque bohemian architecture and honor of the church in Hornì Jiretìn, Johann Friedrich Waldstein. The sanctuary of Mentorella and the idea behind its renovation is an extraordinarily eloquent example of a Baroque man's relationship not to an intentionally composed landscape, but to a pure and wild natural landscape as well.

The Baroque Landscape in and around Rome in Seventeenth Century: Architectural and Natural Location: The Case of Mentorella

FIORE, Camilla
2017-01-01

Abstract

The article deals with Mentorella, a sanctuary in the middle of Tivoli which is closely associated with the legend of St. Eustace. The reception of this legend in the 17th century in the work of Athanasius Kircher is presented here as an example of the Baroque understanding of the wild natural landscape. The first part deals with the legend of St. Eustace as it was known in the 17 century through the interpretation of the original version of the story by John of Damascus. Particular attention is paid to the work of the admirer of St. Eustace, the Jesuit Athanasius Kircher, who in the volume Historia Esutachio-Mariana sought to document this legend historically and find evidence of its connection with the area of Mount Vulturella in Tivoli. A crucial moment of Kircher's reflection was his emphasis on the wild and untouchable nature wich,for Kircher, was a reflection of God's principle. The importance of a place connected directly with the miraculous conversion of St. Eustace was also supported by the fact that there was a strong link to the Benedectine order here - ist founder, St. Benedict, came here to pray. In his memory, the sanctuary of Mentorella with the church of St. Maria delle Grazie was founded here with the chapel of St. Eustace on the rock where the saint's miraculous vision was to have taken place. A reconstruction from the 12th century determined the appearance of the complex with its early Christian center, and the area dilapidated in the 17th century. A. Kircher managed to organize the reconstruction of the entire location through a newly awoken interest in not only the legend but also in its wild natural surroundings. This was joined in by the Habsburg Emperor Leopold I himself as well as by a significant patron of Baroque bohemian architecture and honor of the church in Hornì Jiretìn, Johann Friedrich Waldstein. The sanctuary of Mentorella and the idea behind its renovation is an extraordinarily eloquent example of a Baroque man's relationship not to an intentionally composed landscape, but to a pure and wild natural landscape as well.
2017
978-80-87104-81-1
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11695/89897
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