O monumento ao Sagrado Coração de Jesus da Cova da Iria

: da dimensão simbólica aos sentidos teológico, eclesial e espiritual

Abstract

The Monument to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, raised from the ground in the Cova da Iria, is a memorial institution that allows us, through aesthetic contemplation, to gauge how, in human temporality, the communication of God's love for creation is perceived. The importance of the hermeneutics of the heart as place where the mysteries of Jesus' life are manifested indicates the communicational nature of Divine Revelation in order to establish a «theologia cordis». Reading the symbolic elements present in this memorial, in its context and its main protagonists, draws the attention of the baptised and of the Church itself, to the core of a prophetic manifestation that underlies God's loving omnipresence in human history. It is from the symbolic capital of the memorial, engraved in stone, that we point to the theological, ecclesial, and spiritual meanings of the Heart of Jesus, as the unifying mystery of the Christian faith, which lies at the source to listen to us and call us to life in love.

Date of Award	30 Apr 2024
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	António Canavarro (Supervisor)