In the sixteenth century, the cult of relics was attacked as a form of superstition from Protestants and banned from the Reformed countries. However, it was transformed by the Catholic Church precisely in an instrument to respond to the Lutheran and Calvinist polemics, through the re-launching of devotional practices such as pilgrimages, public expositions and feasts of patron saints. Feminine monasteries were among the favorite places for the custody of relics and icons considered miraculous, which were collected over the centuries in the Christian lands. Indeed, the presence of sacred relics contributed to the prestige of the various cloisters, together with the rigorous and exemplary life conducted by the nuns and with the “fame of sanctity” which enjoyed some of them. Moreover, the exposition of relics and images as well as the magnificent ceremonies, organized on the occasion of their discovery and translations, allowed the nuns to keep a prominent role on the stage of the devotional life of the city, despite the constraints imposed by the enclosure. Ceremonies and processions were also functional to exalt Rome as the “holy city” par excellence and, consequently, its reigning pontiff.
Nel XVI secolo il culto delle reliquie venne attaccato come forma di superstizione dai protestanti e vietato nei paesi riformati. Tuttavia esso fu trasformato dalla Chiesa cattolica proprio in uno strumento con cui reagire alla polemica luterana e calvinista,attraverso il deciso rilancio di pratiche devozionali come pellegrinaggi, feste di santi patroni e pubbliche ostensioni. I monasteri femminili furono tra i luoghi privilegiati per la custodia di reliquie e di icone considerate miracolose, raccolte nel corso dei secoli nei territori vicini o remoti della cristianità. Anzi, la presenza di resti e oggetti sacri contribuì al prestigio dei vari chiostri, insieme all’esistenza esemplare e rigorosa condotta dalle monache e alla “fama di santità” di cui godettero alcune di esse. Inoltre, l’ostensione di reliquie e immagini così come le grandiose cerimonie, organizzate in occasione di ritrovamenti e traslazioni, consentirono alle religiose di mantenere un ruolo ben visibile sul palcoscenico della vita devozionale cittadina, nonostante le ristrettezze imposte dalla clausura. Cerimonie e processioni furono altresì funzionali all’esaltazione di Roma come “città sacra” per eccellenza e, di conseguenza, del suo pontefice regnante.
Custodi del sacro. Le monache romane e il culto delle reliquie nella Roma della Controriforma / Lirosi, Alessia. - In: RIVISTA DI STORIA DELLA CHIESA IN ITALIA. - ISSN 0035-6557. - STAMPA. - 2 - 2012:2 - 2012(2012), pp. 467-494.
Custodi del sacro. Le monache romane e il culto delle reliquie nella Roma della Controriforma
LIROSI, ALESSIA
2012
Abstract
In the sixteenth century, the cult of relics was attacked as a form of superstition from Protestants and banned from the Reformed countries. However, it was transformed by the Catholic Church precisely in an instrument to respond to the Lutheran and Calvinist polemics, through the re-launching of devotional practices such as pilgrimages, public expositions and feasts of patron saints. Feminine monasteries were among the favorite places for the custody of relics and icons considered miraculous, which were collected over the centuries in the Christian lands. Indeed, the presence of sacred relics contributed to the prestige of the various cloisters, together with the rigorous and exemplary life conducted by the nuns and with the “fame of sanctity” which enjoyed some of them. Moreover, the exposition of relics and images as well as the magnificent ceremonies, organized on the occasion of their discovery and translations, allowed the nuns to keep a prominent role on the stage of the devotional life of the city, despite the constraints imposed by the enclosure. Ceremonies and processions were also functional to exalt Rome as the “holy city” par excellence and, consequently, its reigning pontiff.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.