The Making of New Female Saints

This book seeks to examine the representation of female sanctity within the context of Counter-Reformation Rome. The time period I have focused my studies is 1588 to 1625: 1588 marked the first post-Tridentine canonization, as well as Sixtus V's formation of the Congregation of Rites and Ceremonies; 1625 marked the first of Urban VIII's decrees that formed the long, judicial and centralized process of saint-making that is essentially still in effect today. The only women canonized within this time frame were Santa Francesca Romana in 1608, Saint Teresa of Ávila in 1622 and Elisabeth of Portugal in 1625. I examine these three new saints through text and engravings that relate to their canonization in Rome, and assess the ways in which these women act as representatives of the Counter-Reformation Church. In order to properly contextualize the history of these women's canonizations, I look at the patrons of their canonization ceremonies, the temporary structures erected inside Saint Peter's for the events, and finally the contemporary campaign for canonization of Ludovica Albertoni who, while beatified in 1671, was ultimately unsuccessful in achieving official sainthood.

Autorentext

Meg Kissel è una storica dell'arte e scrittrice di Brooklyn, NY. Ha conseguito un master presso il Courtauld Institute of Art di Londra e una laurea in Storia dell'arte e Lingua e letteratura italiana presso lo Smith College di Northampton, MA. Attualmente lavora come amministratrice dei programmi BFA e MFA di fotografia presso la Parsons School of Design.