Presence and representation in images of Catholic saints: considerations from a case study on the devotion to Saint Rita

Abstract

Three-dimensional images of Catholic saints have been analyzed by a wide anthropological and historical literature mainly from notions of presence and representation. This work examines the interaction between devotees and the images of Saint Rita in a church dedicated to her in Rio de Janeiro. The paper focuses on “native” conceptions to make the uses of presence and representation more complex when analyzing devotions to the saints. By considering discussions about the anthropology of objects, devotion, rituals and symbolism, it shows how the relationship with images of saints implies the use of other key anthropological concepts such as body and person.

Keywords
images; presence; representation; cult of the saints