This spring, Erin Giffin conducted independent research of Santa Casa replicas in two- and three-dimensional format in multiple communities across Italy.

In a continuation of her collaboration with SACRIMA, Erin Giffin visited Holy House replicas in Aversa, Livorno, Cremona, Parma, Lanzo d’Intelvi, Arona, Brescia, and Venice. Spanning over a century of construction (from 1592 through the early eighteenth century), this diverse group of Italian Holy Houses demonstrate the stylistic tendencies of Santa Casa replicas, and shed light on the trends in devotional practice and use. The libraries and archives of the Vatican, Rome, Florence, and Milan were also extremely useful in this research, allowing in-depth study of Santa Casa prints and miracle narratives in circulation throughout the early modern period.

This research is part of a larger program of investigation regarding Holy House replicas across Europe, in conjunction with the greater themes of the SACRIMA research group. To find out more about Erin’s research, see her project synopsis Devotional Translations: Early Modern Replicas of the Holy House of the Virgin.