The Bologna goldsmiths' corporation and the cult at Sant'Eligius in the seventeenth century

Abstract

The silversmiths and goldsmiths of all Europe have developed worship in Saint Eligius, patron of metal crafts. This cult has given rise to a series of concrete actions, arrangements, masses and celebrations that have led to the creation of an artistic heritage which, in the case of the Bologna silversmiths, took shape in the 17th century with the creation of a chapel and a specific iconographic program in the Church of Santa Maria della Pietà. However, we must not forget the early representations of the saint in the Middle Ages, in the miniatures of their ordinances, or statutes.

Keywords

• Corporazione
• Orefici
• Bologna
• Sant'Eligio
• Seicento