A beautiful edifice built by a skilful craftsman. The human person as a dwelling place under construction according to Santa Maria Maddalena de’ Pazzi (1566-1607)

Abstract

This study primarily deals with the dynamic concept of ''soul'' and ''heart'' in the experience of the Carmelite mystic Maria Maddalena de' Pazzi. It is an attempt at analysing the Fortieth Colloguy in which the saint, while in rapture, contemplates her soul as an edifice under construction. Since this ecstatic contemplation is connected with previous mystical experiences narrated in other colloques, I shall endeavor to give a thorough description of what is narrated in the preceding colloquies, namely the Twentieth, Twenty-fifth, Thirty-third, and Thirty-ninth Colloquies. After clarifying what is generally understood by the terms ''soul'' and ''heart', I shall try to explore their meaning in de' Pazzi's thought. Hopefully, this would lead the reader to better understand the analysis of the Forieth Colloque and subsequently the image of the soul as a dwelling place under construction; a dynamic entity which is brought to its pristine beauty through the encounter with the divine.