In the Public Eye: The Church of Santa Lucia Nuova, Rome

FAIN: FT-54154-06

Barbara Wisch
SUNY Research Foundation, College at Cortland (Cortland, NY 13045-0900)

This project will reconstruct for the first time the church and cult of the virgin martyr St. Lucy in Renaissance Rome, administered by the confraternity of the Gonfalone. Based on archival evidence, devotional texts, and an original consideration of art and architecture in light of ceremony, the project will contribute methods and models for understanding the complex interweaving of lay spirituality, artistic production, and performative practices in the urban fabric. This study will explore the diverse roles of women in confraternal philanthropy and how rituals reinforced social norms of control over the vulnerable female body. It will offer unique opportunities to examine gender roles in confraternal life and in Rome.