Holy Bodies: An atlas of the Corpi Santi in Portugal

Holy Bodies project plans to locate the “corpi santi” in Portugal, a particular type of full-body reliquaries that were profusely sent to Western Catholic countries after
rediscovering the catacombs in Rome. These reliquaries intended to promote and strengthen religious practice, as they also constituted a sign of power and
influence for those who ordered them. Nevertheless, during the 19th century, the affective piety they once inspired converted into embarrassment due to their
ambiguous origin. Many were removed from their original cult places, and the majority forgotten. A renewed wave of curiosity and interest in “corpi santi” has been
increasing in the Western world in the last twenty years, however, embraced only by a small number of scholars. In Portugal, the study of “corpi santi” constitutes
an entirely emergent body of knowledge involving some team members. The Holy Bodies project will bring these assets to a multi-, inter-, and transdisciplinary
discussion under the supervision of its focused, skilled team, consultants, and advisors.