CoenoBIuM

The aim of CoenoBI(u)M is to study the architectural and artistic culture of the Cassinese Congregation from a comparative perspective, thanks to the innovative use of the methodology of Building Information Modeling (BIM). The Reform of the Rule of St Benedict, instigated by Ludovico Barbo in 1419, revolutionised Benedictine monasteries. It oriented monks’ lives towards meditation and personal prayer, giving rise to the transformation of the monasteries’ spaces, as well as to new theological and iconographical themes in the painting and sculpture of the churches and monasteries of the Congregation. Many studies have hypothesised that this resulted in an artistic and architectural culture shared by many abbeys of the Congregation, and that a regulation imposed by the General Chapters also contributed to this common culture. A perspective that can re-establish the original relations between decorative elements and architectural spaces, as well as relations between the spaces of the church and monastery, is necessary to verify this historiographical hypothesis, using an operative model which is concurrently able to manage a large quantity of data of various types (archival, bibliographical, iconographical, geometric), and which can offer a comparative analysis of three single case studies: San Pietro in Modena, Santa Giustina in Padua and Praglia Abbey. This methodology of interdisciplinary collaboration, carried out between the three research units, is designed to be extended in the future to the entire network of monasteries of the Congregation, thanks to the sharing of data (open access) and results (thematic seminars, conferences and publications) . The ATLAS allows access to information on individual monasteries, allowing cross-research on construction sites, artists, architects, workers and clients. Particularly significant documentary sources are made available in the RESOURCES section.