Abstract
This project explores how Jesuit art functioned as visual catechism, shaping Catholic devotion in the Counter-Reformation Low Countries. More than a display of religious grandeur, Jesuit visual culture was a deliberate strategy of spiritual formation, merging theological instruction with sensory and emotional engagement. Through monumental church arts, devotional prints, and emblem books, Jesuit patrons and artists crafted images that not only instructed but stirred the soul, transforming the act of seeing into an act of believing. Rooted in Ignatian spirituality and Counter-Reformation catechetical strategies, these artworks were conceived as portals to contemplation, drawing viewers into the mysteries of faith. By employing textual analysis and iconographic study in collaborations of art history and Christian theology, this research reconstructs how Jesuit imagery shaped the religious imagination, guiding hearts and minds toward an embodied, affective experience of doctrine. In tracing the interplay between art, devotion, and catechesis, this study reveals a forgotten dimension of Jesuit mission: the formation of souls through the ministry of beauty.
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