The Architecture of Banking in Renaissance Italy

Probes historical relationships between banks and religious beliefs, exploring urban geographies and architectural forms that reveal moral attitudes toward money during the early onset of capitalism.

This book expands the field of late medieval and Renaissance architectural history by examining the intersection of architectural and financial history during the birth of capitalism. It is for scholars interested in questions about the spaces and locations where pre-industrial European banking and minting transpired.Over the course of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, European society confronted rapid monetization, a process that has been examined in depth by economic historians. Less well understood is the development of architecture to meet the needs of a burgeoning mercantile economy in the Late Middle Ages and early modern period. In this volume, Lauren Jacobi explores some of the repercussions of early capitalism through a study of the location and types of spaces that were used for banking and minting in Florence and other mercantile centers in Europe. Examining the historical relationships between banks and religious behavior, she also analyzes how urban geographies and architectural forms reveal moral attitudes toward money during the onset of capitalism. Jacobi's book offers new insights into the spaces and locations where pre-industrial European banking and minting transpired, as well as the impact of religious concerns and financial tools on those sites.