The meanings of awnings and columns at the Lisbon Corpus Christi procession (1717-1777)

Abstract: The article explores the meanings of the awnings and columns at the Lisbon Corpus Christi procession during the reigns of D. John V and D. José I. Frequently used in Europe since the sixteenth century, awnings and columns became systematically employed with the support of the Portuguese Crown and other agents. Our discussion is based on the idea that both awnings and columns were sacred symbols of the procession’s reform during the eighteenth century. We analyse the discussions of the time over the form and material composition of these awnings, along with their conservation, use, political and financial burden for the Municipal Council, Crown, and artisans. We also discuss the reform of the procession, which excluded traditional and popular practices and introduced those material elements, making the presentation more solemn. Our analysis of this eighteenth-century reform focuses on the trajectory of some of the agents involved in the process.