Performing Emotions at the Canonization of St. Ignatius and St. Xavier in the Southern Low Countries

This paper will approach the celebrations of the canonization of St. Ignatius and St. Xavier in different localities of the Southern Netherlands over the course of 1622 as performances of emotion. We will analyze little known visual and textual testimonials of festivals and theatrical representations in Antwerp, Douai, Brussels, Dunkerque and Leuven to examine which means were used to represent, convey and enhance emotions, which actors were involved, how emotions were meant to address and affect the audience, and to what end emotions were activated.
The double canonization of 1622 consecrated the Jesuits as stalwarts of the Roman papacy. In the Southern Netherlands, the celebrations of 1622 were a key moment in confirming the legitimacy of the order by displaying both how it was embedded in the local political and religious arena, and how it mastered the most advanced artistic means to support its mission.
After a sketch of the celebrations and their political and religious context, we will analyze how and why emotion was performed in three steps. The sources attach enormous attention to the material, architectural and urban setting of the celebrations, by emphasizing the splendor and artistic sophistication of the events, and by pointing out the prestigious patronage that had accrued around them. We will examine whether and how the sources charged the material context of the celebration with emotion. What was the intended effect of this context on the audience? How did this context enable the performance of emotion in different forms of public display (pageantry, performances, …)? In order to answer this last question, in a second step we will have a closer look at the Triumphus dedicated to St Ignatius and St. Xavier performed in Brussels. We will examine how, in this ensemble, the material context is activated by the movement of the viewer. The description of the Triumphus singles out moments of transition as instances of heightened emotivity, suggesting that emotions are not mobilized by singular details but by overall views that impress themselves when the beholder crosses a treshold. In a third step we will describe the intended effect of the performance of emotions as a sacer horror, the bodily manifestation of religious awe, the organic sensation of respect mixed with fear and wonder felt in the presence of gods or cosmic forces. The performance of emotions, engendered by multiple layers of transformation (of the material context by means of ephemeral architecture, of the views and the experiences of the viewer, and ultimately, of their affective state) was directed at effectuating a lasting change of heart.