The Role of Female Monasteries in the Organization of Urban Spaces in Southern Italian Cities: The Case of Matera.

This chapter explores the impact that female monasteries, often founded by a local ruling dynasty, had on the urban pattern of cities and towns in southern Italy. From a long-term perspective, it considers the situa- tion of such monasteries in the urban context. Situated within the city walls, but in a decentred position, they became a hinge in the medieval fabric of towns and influenced their development. This becomes particularly clear in the case of Matera, where three female convents invested in the construction of new monasteries and thus contributed to shaping urban space.