La chambre des merveilles votive du sanctuaire mantouan de Santa Maria delle Grazie. Le rôle des franciscains au XVIe siècle

A rare collection of three-dimensional ex-voto offerings, including life-sized portraits and anatomical waxes, has been identified within the 14th-century Franciscan sanctuary of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Mantua. These artifacts, preserved in situ, date back to the early modern period (1520s) and were meticulously arranged by Franciscans to showcase the miraculous efficacy of the Virgin Eleousa. The study reveals how the religious institution strategically controlled and staged these votive objects, reflecting social hierarchies while narrating both grand historical figures (e.g., popes, emperors) and personal stories of ordinary individuals (e.g., condemned prisoners). This research highlights the intersection of religious devotion, institutional power, and artistic expression in Renaissance Italy.

Lepoittevin, A. (2014). La chambre des merveilles votive du sanctuaire mantouan de Santa Maria delle Grazie. Le rôle des franciscains au XVIe siècle. Mélanges de l’École Française de Rome. Italie et Méditerranée, 126-2. https://doi.org/10.4000/mefrim.1988