Divine Pageantry: Scenographic Architecture and the mise-en-scène of the Liturgy
James Thomas Hadley
Abstract
Scenography is today defined as the study and practice of design for artistic performances. At its origin the concept emerged from Greco-Hellenistic drama and then came to be applied to Renaissance and Baroque church architecture. In light of a renewed contemporary interest in scenographic studies the author reviews the origins of scenography and its historic application to liturgical architecture. The article concludes suggesting how scenography, past and present, might inform liturgical theology and praxis today, especially as it relates to the creation of integrated liturgical environments of worship that facilitate embodied sacramental experiences of redemption.
Sommario
La scenografia è oggi definita come lo studio e la pratica del design per le performance artistiche. Alle sue origini il concetto è emerso dal dramma greco-ellenistico ed è poi stato applicato all’architettura della chiesa rinascimentale e barocca. Alla luce di un rinnovato interesse contemporaneo per gli studi scenografici l’autore esamina le origini della scenografia e la sua applicazione storica all’architettura liturgica. L’articolo in seguito considera come la teoria della scenografia, passata e presente, potrebbe dar forma alla teologia e alla prassi liturgica oggi, soprattutto per quanto riguarda la creazione di ambienti liturgici integrati che facilitino esperienze sacramentali incarnate della redenzione.
James Thomas Hadley a lay oblate of Saint Anselm’s Abbey (Washington, DC), teaches the history and theology of liturgical art and architecture, as well as church studio design, at The Catholic University of America’s Rome Campus. He is also a liturgical artist, designer and consultant.