Interieur van de Santa Maria della Pace te Rome 1665

Giovanni Battista Falda created this print of the interior of Santa Maria della Pace in Rome sometime in the late 17th century. Falda’s engraving depicts not just the architecture of the church, but also the social space that it creates. The church was refurbished under Pope Alexander VII, and the inscription suggests that the print was made to celebrate this restoration. The scene is populated with figures; some are standing in conversation, while others kneel in prayer. This image is as much about the physical space as it is about the social practices that take place within it, and how people experience the church as a shared environment. To fully understand this print, and the culture that produced it, we might consider accounts of religious life in Rome at the time. We can use the print itself as a historical document, asking what it tells us about the relationship between the church, its patrons, and the public.