Wax Lambs: The Global Circulation of Papal Sacrality in the Sixteenth Century

• In Event: The Mechanics of Mobility in the Renaissance World III: Objects and Networks

Abstract

Agnus Dei were round disks made from the wax of leftover paschal candles in Rome and blessed by the pope during Easter ceremonies in the first and seventh years of a pontificate. During the Counter-Reformation Agnus Dei assumed a new force as a medium for the popular dissemination of papal sacrality. The paper explores the ways Agnus Dei intersected with both global and local mobilities. The Society of Jesus was key to the circulation of Agnus Dei. Centered in Rome, the Jesuits enjoyed privileged access to the wax lambs. The disks travelled along the efficient Jesuit communications network and were distributed in both the European and overseas missions. Like many other devotional objects, Agnus Dei remained in perpetual motion. Their apotropaic and thaumaturgical powers meant that they were worn upon the body and were particularly valued for their ability to ward off perils associated with travel.

Author

• Paul Nelles, Carleton University