Enclosure and its Secrets: Relics and the Production of Sacral Power in Today's France and Italy

On the basis of ethnographic fieldwork carried out in an Italian-rench context, the notion of secrecy is considered within production, re-production and signification practices applied to relic-objects in the contemporary Christian monastic tradition. This study looks at the material and symbolic procedures performed on the remains of a saint or a blessed, principally by Carmelite nuns. It also looks at the role of secrecy in controlling a process and at the establishment of diversified roles, hierarchical sets of skills and a confidential communication system. Having eluded the influence of the secular clergy, these nuns are women who have attained precise areas of competence and autonomy.