Rifrazioni borromaiche tra simboli, immagini sacre e culto delle reliquie | Borromean Refractions between Symbols, Sacred Images, and the Cult of Relics

Abstract

This paper examines the dissemination and reception of the Borromean model from the late sixteenth to the early seventeenth century, focusing on sacred images, relics, and devotional practices as key instruments of post-Tridentine discipline and persuasion. Through selected case studies related to the cult of Saint Charles Borromeo – ranging from panegyrical oratory and visual production to the circulation of relics and the cultural policies promoted by Cardinal Federico Borromeo – the study investigates the symbolic construction of sanctity and its transregional diffusion between Milan, Rome, and southern Italy. The analysis reveals an integrated system of images, texts, and rituals designed to shape devotional experience and regulate religious behavior within the confessional culture of the long seventeenth century.