From Dances to Awnings and Arches: The Corpus Christi Procession of Porto in the 18th Century

• Autor(a) principal: Santos,Beatriz Catão Cruz
• Data de Publicação: 2022
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: http://scielo.pt/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1645-64322022000100123
• topic: Corpus Christi; Procession; Artisans; Reformation; Sacred space

Abstract This paper analyses the changes made to the Corpus Christi procession by the Porto city council, as one of the authorities coordinating the feast. An examination of the council’s minutes reveals a debate between different interest groups about the procession’s reformation during the eighteenth century, during which time the dances and performances were replaced by awnings. The procession was considered holiness in motion on the streets of Porto, which carried different meanings. This reformation of sacred space, the recorded memory of the space, and the religion’s materiality are brought to light in a context of Catholicism. This study also explores the cultural models for the reformation.