Gezicht op de Sint-Michielskerk, te Leuven 1727 - 1734

Reynier Blokhuysen's engraving presents us with a bird's-eye view of the Sint-Michielskerk in Leuven, revealing the architectural assertion of the Jesuit order. The most prominent feature is, of course, the church, a baroque structure that echoes the spiritual authority the Jesuits aimed to project. The church is situated among other institutional buildings, all arranged in a rigid grid. This structured layout, reminiscent of Roman military camps, speaks to the Jesuit's disciplined approach to both education and spiritual life. Notice how similar cityscapes, with their clear lines and assertion of power, appear throughout Renaissance maps and city views, and much earlier, in Roman city planning. These visual echoes serve to affirm a continuity of authority that spans across cultures and time. This need for order expresses itself through a calculated spatial configuration that has a profound psychological effect, instilling both comfort and control. It's a visual language that taps into our collective memory, speaking of both stability and the ever-present need for human organization.