Augustine on Stage in the Southern Low Countries in the Early Modern Period

Abstract

The Low Countries are renowned for their rich theatre tradition in the early modern period. In total, there are no more than four dramas known in which Augustine plays a major role. A single play dates from the seventeenth century and was performed by the pupils of the Jesuit College in Brussels. Augustine of Hippo enjoyed a popularity in the colleges of the Flemish Augustinians that was significantly greater than with the Jesuits. The play Conversio S. Augustini was performed in 1638 by pupils in the Jesuit College in Brussels, and it is the earliest dramatized adaptation of Augustine's life in the Southern Netherlands. In German-speaking regions, the clash between Protestants and Catholics was still tangible and very real, and this situation might have contributed to the repeated staging of the Augustine dramas. Keywords:Augustine; Conversio S. Augustini ; early modern period; Jesuit College in Brussels; Low countries; school drama; Southern Netherlands