Statues of the Saints as Mirrors of Divine Light in Jesuit Baroque Architecture in the Southern Netherlands ( SLIDE 1) Piet Lombaerde (University of Antwerp) INTRODUCTION Typical characteristics of the Counter-Reformation in the Baroque architecture of the Southern Netherlands – that of the Jesuits, in particular – include the lavish decoration of façades and interiors, with statuary of saints, angels, the Virgin Mary and Christ.( SLIDE 2) Perspective and light play a key role in the position of these sculptures in the interior of the church. Both are essential elements of Optics, as studied and described in the theories of Jesuit fathers such as Christopher Scheiner, Athanasius Kircher, André Taquet, Honoré Fabri and Claude François Milliet Dechales. They all emphasise that light takes on a special meaning to illustrate the divine. The ideas on light and its “perception” by the human eye, were discussed at length by the Jesuit father and mathematician François de Aguilón, in his work Opticorum Libri Sex, which was published in 1613 by the Officina Plantiniana in Antwerp. His theories are especially interesting in the context of this short lecture. ( SLIDE 3) Aguilón and the lay brother Pieter Huyssens were the architects of the new Jesuit church in Antwerp ( SLIDE 4), which was built from 1615 until 1621. It is therefore interesting to see whether these optical theories also influenced the position and the lighting of the statues of saints that were installed in the church’s interior. Unfortunately, Aguilón died in 1617 due to illness and was therefore unable to witness the church’s completion. Consequently, he was not 1