Imaginary, Knowledge and Urban Geography. Athanasius Kircher in Baroque Rome

Adopting an interdisciplinary perspective, the paper investigates the relationship between the cultural policies of the Jesuit order and the aesthetic-spatial reconfiguration of Rome during the Early Modern period. The article considers the works of the Jesuit Athanasius Kircher (1602-1680), iconographic and literary evidence such as the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili and the literary motif of “theaters of the world”. This helps us investigate various aspects, including urban architecture and its symbolic and religious value, in the framework of Baroque Rome. Furthermore, we will focus on the techniques of preserving and assimilating cultural memories within public spaces.