Religious lifeCecilia Cristellon and silvana seidel MenchiThis chapter is divided into two sections: the first, by Cecilia Cristellon,
treats the concrete aspects of Venetian religious life and the ways in
which they were codified and endorsed by the authorities. it analyzes the
structures of the dioceses and the clergy; the language, organization, and
control of devotion; the reform movements within the Church; and the
relationship between ecclesiastics and the faithful. The second section,
by silvana seidel Menchi, confronts issues that are more theoretical and
theological: the osmosis between the religious and political spheres; the
secularized perception of the sacred on the part of the Venetian ruling
class; and Venice’s ecclesiastical vocation which allowed it to confront
papal power in the name of Christian values and to develop an ethico-
religious identity independent of papal protection. in addition, it analyzes
forms of consensus and religious dissent; the diffusion of Protestant ideas
in the 16th century; and the diffusion of erudite libertinism in the 17th
century and in the age of enlightenment.
While this study covers a chronological arc that spans the 14th to the
18th centuries, it illustrates the crucial role of the Council of Trent in shap-
ing Venetian religiosity, receiving or reacting to the demands for reform
that were raised from various parts of the city on the lagoon. in addi-
tion, this chapter interprets crucial events such as the defeat at Agnadello
(1509) and the interdict controversy (1606) as aspects of a structural con-
flict that was fundamentally religious, even though the existing histori-
ography has tended instead to interpret these as chance conflicts of a
political nature.
i. Piety, Its Institutions, and Its Languages- Institutional Configuration of the Venetian Church and Jurisdictional
Conflicts
from the end of the 12th century, Venice found itself having to manage
a latent tension in the sphere of ecclesiastical jurisdiction that stemmed
from a presence within the city of competing religious authorities, and the