This chapter analyses the birth of hell with special attention to early modern Italy (sixteenth to eighteenth centuries), understood as a special laboratory for the Catholicism born from the Council of Trent. In particular, representations of the origin of the locus inferni in poetry and art will be examined. After a summary of the theological background, the chapter offers a path through the works of some literary figures who addressed the origin of hell in their works; subsequently, it shows the pictorial and sculptural production that confronted the theme. In all cases, the cosmic struggle that led to the birth of the physical and subterranean hell is emphasized, and, in addition to the figure of Lucifer, the role of the archangel Michael as the personification of the powers of good stands out.

The Birth of Hell: An Angel, His Fall, and His Reign among Us / Al Kalak, Matteo. - (2024), pp. 123-156. [10.1163/9789004688247_006]

The Birth of Hell: An Angel, His Fall, and His Reign among Us

Al Kalak, Matteo
2024

Abstract

This chapter analyses the birth of hell with special attention to early modern Italy (sixteenth to eighteenth centuries), understood as a special laboratory for the Catholicism born from the Council of Trent. In particular, representations of the origin of the locus inferni in poetry and art will be examined. After a summary of the theological background, the chapter offers a path through the works of some literary figures who addressed the origin of hell in their works; subsequently, it shows the pictorial and sculptural production that confronted the theme. In all cases, the cosmic struggle that led to the birth of the physical and subterranean hell is emphasized, and, in addition to the figure of Lucifer, the role of the archangel Michael as the personification of the powers of good stands out.
2024
The Eschatological Imagination Space, Time, and Experience (1300–1800)
Wietse de Boer, Christine Göttler
9789004688247
9789004688094
Brill
The Birth of Hell: An Angel, His Fall, and His Reign among Us / Al Kalak, Matteo. - (2024), pp. 123-156. [10.1163/9789004688247_006]
Al Kalak, Matteo
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11380/1362427
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