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Vatican ceremonies and tourist culture in nineteenth-century British travelogues

Martens, Britta

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Authors



Contributors

Michael Hollington
Editor

Catherine Waters
Editor

John Jordan
Editor

Abstract

Nineteenth-century British tourists who attended Catholic ceremonies in Italy were more than mere passive observers. Their accounts of Holy Week in the Vatican reveal a tension between, on the one hand, British tourists’ denigration of Catholic rituals stemming from theological or perceived cultural differences and, on the other, their fascination with spectacle. This fascination undermines their self-image as culturally superior to sensuous South Europeans and suggests the increasing attraction of the British middle class to visual and spectacular culture. Although they appear to value these rituals for their authenticity, the tourists are shown to privilege spectacle and entertainment. Mirroring the conflicting attitudes within the tourists, the Vatican authorities paradoxically maintain an image of Catholicism which guarantees the Papal States an income from tourism but which perpetuates anti-Catholic prejudice.

Citation

Martens, B. (2010). Vatican ceremonies and tourist culture in nineteenth-century British travelogues. In M. Hollington, C. Waters, & J. Jordan (Eds.), Imagining Italy: Victorian Writers and Travellers (14-34). Newcastle: Cambridge Scholars Press

Publication Date Jan 1, 2010
Publicly Available Date Jun 8, 2019
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Pages 14-34
Book Title Imagining Italy: Victorian Writers and Travellers
ISBN 9781443823845
Keywords Vatican ceremonies, tourist culture, nineteenth-century, Britain, travelogues
Public URL https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/986693
Publisher URL http://www.c-s-p.org/Flyers/Imagining-Italy1-4438-2384-8.htm
Additional Information Additional Information : Published with the permission of Cambridge Scholars Publishing

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