Margaret of Austria and Brou : Habsburg political patronage in Savoy

The church and monastery of Brou, Bourg-en-Bresse were built under the attentive patronage of Margaret of Austria (1480--1530), Duchess of Savoy, Regent of the Netherlands and daughter of Maximilian I and Mary of Burgundy. Brou was intended to symbolically and economically secure the region for the Habsburgs as well as memorialize the glory of its patron. Located in Savoy, a strategic territory in the battle for Italy between the Habsburg Empire and France, Brou's secular and religious references, chosen by the patron herself, reflect her and her family's political needs. This paper explores Margaret of Austria's role as patron and creator of Brou, her political and propagandistic agenda, her pivotal role in its planning and construction, her architectural and stylistic choices and the results of her efforts and their reception