From monastery to theater: The Casa di Correzione for boys in Rome and the role of prisons in eighteenth-century architecture

This dissertation examines the design, use, and influence of the House of Correction for boys in Rome (1701--1704). Many historians consider the Casa di Correzione to be the first modern prison because of its architectural design. The social and political setting in which the prison was constructed challenges a prevalent understanding of institutional types and their historical evolution. While eighteenth-century Rome was denigrated by foreign travelers as backwards and marked by papal despotism, these same travelers considered the Casa di Correzione to be one of the most enlightened institutions of Europe. This study explores the history of the Casa di Correzione in the context of Rome's institutions and social policies of the Catholic Reformation era. It also examines the ways in which the plans for the prison were disseminated through Italy and Europe both by architects and by travelers on their Grand Tour.;The decision to build a new House of Correction was made after a century of experimentation with forms of confinement in Rome. Constructed under the patronage of Pope Clement XI (1700--1721), the prison was designated for young male criminals as an alternative to detention in Rome's main prison. Architect Carlo Fontana combined the ideals of monastic seclusion with the functional requirements of a workhouse in the Casa di Correzione plan. The most striking aspect of the Casa di Correzione was its interior layout, composed of a long hall with three stories of individual prison rooms on each side.;The construction of the Casa di Correzione marks a moment in which architects and other professionals began to theorize new methods of social reform through architecture. For interested reformers and architects, the outstanding innovation of the Casa di Correzione was its visual clarity. The House of Correction introduced the use of surveillance and observation in prison design. Disseminated throughout Europe as a model for prison architecture, the House of Correction occupies a central place in the history of Enlightenment discourses of discipline.