Sacred Darkness: Redemptive Suffering and Counter-Reformation Theology in Caravaggio's Altarpieces

<p dir="ltr"><b></b>This thesis examines the painter Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio’s evolving engagement with Counter-Reformation theology, culminating in his Neapolitan period (1606–07). Moving beyond biographical readings, this study argues that Caravaggio’s intensified use of darkness, heightened emotional intensity, and visceral immediacy served as a pictorial response to Counter-Reformation spirituality, particularly the Jesuit and Oratorian emphasis on devotion through suffering. It begins with his early Roman works, created for patrons influenced by the Counter-Reform orders, which established his commitment to these key theological themes. It continues with his altarpieces in Naples, particularly The Seven Works of Mercy (1607) and The Flagellation of Christ (1607), arguing they reflect an especially profound engagement with themes of sacrifice and redemptive suffering. In doing so, this project offers a preliminary examination of contemporary Neapolitan religious practices and customs, and local patronage. By reassessing his Neapolitan works within this framework, this thesis argues that Caravaggio’s mature sacred paintings served as a profound reflection on theological concepts current in early seventeenth-century Catholicism, which were explored with a sophisticated artistic praxis.</p>