Locating Albert: the first Carmelite Saint in the works of Taddeo di Bartolo, Lippo di Andrea, Masaccio and others 1*
Christa Gardner von Teuffel
Lacking an undisputed founder, the Carmelites, in competition with other mendicant orders, promulgated the cult of their early confessor Alberto degli Abati of Trapani (c.1240-1307). Their concentration on Albert’s legend, iconography, relics, liturgical feast, anniversary masses, and venerated sites eventually resulted in his canonization (1457). The original locations of the first images of Albert, which provided the Order with important propaganda tools, are investigated. The possibility that these sites, initially of popular devotion, became, after Albert’s canonization, altars dedicated to the new saint is examined