The Convent of Santa Chiara in Urbino: A New Chronology of its Construction and Patronage

Abstract

Santa Chiara in Urbino, Italy, is a fifteenth-century convent of considerable size and architectural complexity. The founding patron of the building project, which was designed by the Sienese architect Francesco di Giorgio, has traditionally been regarded as Duke Federico da Montefeltro. New documents demonstrate, however, that the convent should rather be understood as a Montefeltro family project, begun by Duke Guidantonio da Montefeltro and continued and enhanced by his son, Federico, and his granddaughter, Elisabetta. Such a scenario reshapes our understanding of the way in which architecture was commissioned by the Montefeltro as a dynasty, and sheds new light on the way in which Federico da Montefeltro used patronage of existing family projects to cement his status as ruler of Urbino.

Keywords

• Francesci di Giorgio
• Urbino
• Santa Chiara
• Montefeltro