The Benedictines in Rome and their influence on the design of the city

The paper recounts the historical courses of two main Roman churches, in Transtiberina area, dedicated to Saint Benedict, or entrusted to the Benedictine Order care, such as: St. Benedetto in Piscinula and St. Cecilia. Moreover, basing on archival sources, many Benedictines monastic complexes and churches, spread in the Roman vicinity, emerge. This heritage is nowadays highly fragmented, and surrounded by a deeply altered environment; nevertheless, some architectural peculiar features – constructions site process, building techniques, and foundation structures – can still be identified. The Benedictine friars had an important role regarding the urban structure, having deeply influenced the development of the areas where they settled, building their monasteries, as the two churches above mentioned demonstrate. Concluding, regarding the analyzed cases, clearly emerges that the urban Benedictine architectural complexes have always played an important role within the city pattern, not only regarding pastoral or evangelization obligations, but as stabilitas factor strengthener, embodying the choice to share the life with brothers, in a dedicated space. This cultural and architectural phenomenon established a ‘system’ between Benedictine complexes, one that influenced the development of the city, the territory and the landscape.