The Baths of Nero and Severus Alexander, later the Church of Saint Eustace 1641

Editor: This is Giacomo Lauro's print depicting the Baths of Nero and Severus Alexander, later the Church of Saint Eustace. The precision of the lines and labels give it a technical feel, but I'm struck by how this grand, secular space was repurposed into a church. What does that transformation signify to you? Curator: It's a powerful visual testament to shifting power dynamics. The transition from Roman baths, a symbol of imperial leisure and public life, to a church reveals the rise of Christianity and its appropriation of earlier cultural spaces. Consider the implications of erasing pagan spaces, reimagining them to serve a new dominant ideology. What does it mean to build your sacred spaces on top of another's? Editor: It speaks volumes about cultural conquest and the imposition of new belief systems. Curator: Precisely. And how that translates into the built environment. It makes you think about colonialism, doesn't it? How are spaces reshaped to reflect cultural dominance? Editor: Absolutely, it's a recurring theme throughout history. It's fascinating to consider this print as a record of that ongoing process. Curator: Indeed. Art like this helps us understand how space, power, and belief are inextricably linked.