Description
- Abstract:
- Following the 1755 earthquake, the royal decree that issued directives for the rebuilding of the city of Lisbon emphatically declared the abandonment of the Constitution of Zeno. This decree had its origins in Roman Law and the Code of Justinian, protecting the views from houses facing the sea and, in the case of Lisbon, views over the River Tagus. Although historiographers of urbanism consider this law to be either extinct or forgotten, it was upheld for centuries in Portugal and had a significant bearing on the city’s architecture, helping to mold an urban culture that prized Lisbon’s visual features and landscapes. I propose to examine the way in which these laws were incorporated into, and applied within, Portuguese law. Above all, I examine how they were understood and experienced in the day-to-day life of the city, where, in the various records of petitions, agreements, contracts, and legal disputes, we can find constant references to these laws, which became a source of privilege and a zealously guarded asset, particularly among the social elite.
- Na sequência do terramoto de 1755 o decreto régio com as directivas para a reedificação da cidade de Lisboa afirmava de forma peremptória a abolição da Constituição Zenoniana. Esta lei que recuava na sua origem ao direito romano e ao código justiniano estabelecia a protecção às vistas das casas voltadas ao mar e, no caso de Lisboa, as vistas sobre o Tejo. Considerada pela historiografia do urbanismo como extinta ou ignorada, esta lei manteve-se em vigor em Portugal durante séculos, tendo uma significativa influência na arquitectura como numa cultura urbanística que tendia a valorizar os aspectos visuais e paisagísticos da cidade de Lisboa. Propomo-nos analisar a forma como estas leis foram integradas e aplicadas no direito português, mas, sobretudo, examinar a maneira como foram entendidas e vividas no dia-a-dia da cidade, onde, através de petições, acordos, contractos e conflitos jurídicos, constatamos uma constante referência a estas leis que aqui vemos emergir como um privilégio e um bem guardado com zelo e orgulho, sobretudo entre as elites.
Citation
Carita, Hélder,
"Zenonian Laws on Sea Views and the Image of the City of Lisbon"
(2019).
e-Journal of Portuguese History.
Brown Digital Repository. Brown University Library.
https://doi.org/10.26300/9rgm-9166
Relations
Is Part of:
Collection:
-
e-Journal of Portuguese History
...The e-Journal of Portuguese History (e-JPH) (ISSN: 1645-6432) is an international peer-reviewed scholarly journal with the objective of providing publication of work on historical subjects, especially those concerning themes and topics of Portuguese history analyzed in a comparative perspective. It …