Nicola Zabaglia’s Scaffoldings for the Maintenance of Architectural Space in St. Peter’s Basilica and throughout Europe in the Seventeenth to Nineteenth Centuries

Abstract

The scenographic architectural space of St. Peter’s represents an authoritative framework for the exhibition of the Vatican’s intellectual and technological potential. The creation and maintenance of St. Peter’s spurred inventions in construction practices and building technology, including the development of ad hoc scaffolding systems that could be assembled in prohibitive conditions. As demonstrated in this article, St. Peter’s Fabbrica and the Church fostered a reassuring place of experience, where rigour and tradition encouraged the realization of striking accomplishments. Notable among others were the scaffoldings designed by the master carpenter Nicola Zabaglia, to whose work the 1743 Castelli e ponti was dedicated. The 1824 reprint of this volume enjoyed a critical fortune in Europe, disseminating the place-specific knowledge of the Vatican Fabbrica.