Life and Afterlife of Religious Bodies: From Organic Matters to Devotional Objects: Corpses on Display in Late Modern Italy (c. 1800–1950)

This chapter investigates the transformation of religious bodies from organic remains into devotional objects in late modern Italy, c. 1800–1950. Focusing on corpses and reliquary-bodies displayed in churches, sanctuaries, and monastic spaces, it examines how material remains were reshaped, preserved, exhibited, and reinterpreted within Catholic devotional culture. The chapter highlights the boundary between body, relic, object, and memory, showing how the public display of holy remains contributed to the construction of local sanctity, devotional practices, and communal religious identity. By approaching religious bodies as material and symbolic objects, the study connects the history of Catholic devotion with material culture, memory studies, and the history of the sacred body.