Città, architettura e identità di corte: strategie per un ordine cistercense riformato

In Turin, capital city of the early modern age in the Savoy state, the religious presence of the Foglianti orders had a strong political role, following the new needs of the Catholic Church after the Council of Trent. Starting from the settlement of new religious or reformed orders, the city and its surrounding areas underwent architectural and urban changes. As a consequence, a new pattern emerged in its demography, land-use and real estate. Some of the orders were marked by discipline and rigour in their daily behaviour, inspired by the austerity of their origins, which may have influenced the choice of where to position churches, monasteries and convents. As a consequence, the shape of the city changed. The reformed Cistercian order of saint Bernard is a perfect example of this phenomenon and the Congregation of the Foglianti in Savoy Piedmont had a strong link with the new developing court. This essay will discuss the case studies of the Foglianti settlements in the Santuario della Consolata (Sanctuary of the Virgin of the Consolation) and the royal chapel of Mirafiori in Turin, and Sanctuary of the Nativity of Mary Most Holy in Vicoforte.