Os Lugares Santos nos retábulos portugueses: as cruzes em madeira de oliveira e madrepérola da Terra Santa (sécs. XVII-XIX)

The distance between Portugal and the Holy Places was bridged by the omnipresence of biblical references in the daily lives of the faithful. The Commissariat of the Holy Land in Portugal (1621­1833), a Franciscan institution closely tied to the Custody of the Holy Land, was dedicated to collecting and sending alms for its support, reinforcing this connection. Benefactors’ generosity was rewarded with devotional objects made in the Holy Land, crafted from olive wood and mother­of­pearl. This study aims to contextualize and analyse this practice as a mechanism for fostering piety, examining the presence of such items in Portuguese altarpieces, while considering their significance beyond their materiality.