The estate of the Poor Clares of San Lorenzo in Panisperna between the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries: a first inquiry

Abstract

Through the analysis of archival sources from the Archivio Capitolino and the Archivio di Stato di Roma, this essay deals with the management of the real estate and land-holdings of the monastery of San Lorenzo in Panisperna, since the beginning of the fourteenth century. At that time, cardinal Giovanni Colonna moved the Poor Clares there, aiming for his family’s control over large swathes of landed property and buildings North-East of Rome, in close proximity to the Orsini, the direct rivals of the Colonna. The growth of their estate elucidates the managerial competences of the abbesses, who came from some of the most powerful Roman families – such as the Sant’Eustachio, de Prefectis, Orsini, Savelli, di Vico and Conti –, and sometimes joined the convent upon widowhood. Ostensibly, having a sister or a daughter as an abbess gave these families the opportunity to control this vast property. The growth of the estate, thanks to donations, legacies, acquisitions and, last but not least, transfers, shows the interest of the monastery in gaining possessions in the area surrounding Rome, whose management was fostered by a lively entrepreneurial spirit and by resorting to the expertise of lay aides. From the second half of the fourteenth century onwards, we observe a different settlement strategy: the increase of real property testifies to a new attention, on the part of the abbesses, towards the central urban areas, in step with the city’s expansion.