Local roots of the universal representation of the triumph: the aesthetic invention of the sacred during the canonisation of the first Jesuit saints (1622)

Abstract

From 1622 until 1624, the Jesuit colleges and houses scattered across the entire world celebrated the canonisation of Ignatius of Loyola and Francis Xavier. For the most part, they chose to ignore the General¿s recommendation for moderation: they opted for some particularly spectacular celebrations in which the decorations rivalled those of Rome in their ingenuity and sumptuousness. This contribution aims at highlighting the ways the Jesuits skilfully incorporated elements of local festive culture as well as new ceremonial practices into their celebrations in order to trigger pleasure through surprise, this recourse to recreational means being part of an entire arsenal of conversion and teaching tactics. Through the analysis of the case of the commemorations orchestrated by the Jesuits in Antwerp in 1622, at the precise moment they are inaugurating their new church, we seek in particular to capture the way in which this case exemplifies the desire to create an event that mixes the ephemeral with the perennial as a way to celebrate sanctity with a great deal of artistic support.