Fondali religiosi nella Torino dell’ancien régime: ragioni funzionali e percettive per la celebrazione di ordini e confraternite

Differently from other urban contexts, during the ancien régime in Turin, religious backdrops are scarcely applied favouring to orient new streets, or modify the existing ones, in the direction of places of dynastic and civic power. Inside the baroque fortified perimeter of the city, only ex‑ ceptions are three eighteenth‑century churches: the church of the Confraternity of Misericordia, the church of Santa Pelagia and the church of San Michele. Due to their position at the end of three streets, these churches enjoy much relevance and visibility in urban context through two different approaches. In the case of Misericordia church, buying and selling and demolition ac‑ tions are at the base of the opening of the street in line with the facade of the church; instead, the other two cases are consciously built at the end of existing streets. The aim of this contribute is to investigate the celebrative and functional reasons that make these three churches the only religious backdrops built during the modern age in Turin. In particular, the relation between architectural design and customers and between perception of church and urban framework will be focused.