As the 17th century progressed, the persuasive tools offered by Baroque art were no longer limited to spaces inside buildings, but extended into urban spaces, understood in its constantly evolving and extraordinary scenic potential.
The great European monarchs and the papacy in Rome, promoted architectural projects that would qualify whole urban areas: the “theatre” of the city filled with statues, displays originally intended to be temporary that become permanent structures or functional elements that opened new views within ancient urban areas.
The directions of the Counter-Reformation are also present in the specific attention reserved for the creation of routes of mystical intensity, intended to evoke the pathos of the Passion of Christ in the souls of the faithful.