The Motif of Calvary in the chapelles ardentes of the Princes of Lorraine (1589)

Abstract

This article dwells on the memorial services for Henry I, Duke of Guise, and Louis II, Cardinal of Guise, who were assassinated in Blois at the order of King Henry III of France. These services were special due to the arrangement of symbolic chapelles ardentes (‘burning chapels’) in the churches. The decoration of these chapels reflected not only the religious and political ideas of adherents of the Guise brothers, but also changes in religious art unrelated to the particular event. For instance, the prevalent motif of Calvary, which by the late 16th century had become common in the interiors of French churches following the decisions of the Council of Trent, as well as triumphal motifs that had been used to depict the ruling class throughout the 16th century and had fundamental importance in terms of the development of the ideas of the Renaissance and Gallicanism. The main visual sources used in the paper are engravings, both separate works (by Catholic engravers, primarily Jacques Lalouette’s work depicting in detail the Parisian chapelle ardente) and book illustrations, as well as descriptions of similar chapels whose images have not survived to the present day (e.g., Pierre Matthieu’s text describing the ceremony and the chapel in Lyon). Among other key motifs, besides Cavalry, we can name the imitation of Christ, as well as triumphal motifs in an antique manner, which are characteristic both of the court art during the period of the French religious wars in general, and of the House of Guise in particular.