Absent Presence: Religious Materiality, the Order of St John, and the Counter-Reformation

Within the Catholic liturgy and devotion, there exists a seemingly paradoxical notion of spirituality through materiality, religious practices that are equally tangible and intangible, concurrently present and absent. This paper explores the concept of ‘absent-presence’ in early modern Catholic devotional practices, with a focus on the Order of St John during the Counter-Reformation. Drawing on case studies from Malta and across the Hospitaller world, it investigates how religious materiality (sacred objects, spaces, and rituals) expresses divine agency. Anchored in the kinetic approach to religious history, the study examines how the movement of relics, the staging of processions, and the construction of sacred spaces fostered emotional and spiritual transformation among devotees. While belief may be elusive for historians, the devotional actions of the Hospitallers demonstrate a faith deeply intertwined with motion, matter, and memory as external forces that sought to move the soul through tangible forms.