Author(s)

ARMÉNIO DA CONCEIÇÃO LOPES, CARLOS JORGE HENRIQUES FERREIRA

Abstract

The territory, as it was understood in the medieval period, undergoes a shift of paradigm in the early stages of the modern age. The growing importance of European capitals and city-states, as an expression of the court life of absolutist monarchies, and the advent of the Counter-Reform movement provide urban spaces with diverse moments and events, where architecture plays a decisive role in the assertion of different powers – notably within royal and religious elites. In the early 18th century, the highest power belonged to King Joao V, who wanted to transform Lisbon into the new “Rome of the Occident” in an effort to seek validation from the religious establishment of Rome. For that purpose, Filippo Juvarra was one of the talented architects brought to Portugal to apply the monarch’s ideas. One of the least studied projects is the one signed by Carlos Mardel, which intended to significantly change the image of the city throughout several miles of its riverfront. By employing scenographic strategies from the Baroque period, the proposed plan reveals a very smart hydraulic technique which allows for the blending of the water and the “new city,” forming a harmonious combination. The Portuguese model shows that the need to assert Lisbon as the capital of an overseas empire triggers changes in the architecture and the urban scenography, in order to feed new desires and ambitions. Taking into account that the most widespread images of Lisbon are its views from the river, the proposals for the regularization of the riverfront are now seen as an innovative and strategic motivation to recreate the city’s image. As heirs of a strong tradition, based on a constructive praxis, engineers, architects, and construction masters develop innovative projects in response to new challenges, which will have considerable relevance in the international context.

Keywords

Baroque scenography, Carlos Mardel, Filippo Juvarra, Lisbon’s riverfront theater curtain, Rome of the Occident, urbemarism, water-city