"This study assembles for the first time a wealth of evidence of cult veneration of St. Joseph in Renaissance Italy. From this base, Carolyn Wilson argues for broad revision of our understanding of devotion to St. Joseph during the late pre-Tridentine period. She newly indicates an important role for Renaissance Italy in the history of St. Joseph's liturgical exaltation." "Detecting numerous occasions when Joseph is invoked for protection from plague, foreign invasion, and threat to the Church, the author emphasizes the contemporary currency - in both theology and art - of the Maria-Ecclesia typology and concomitant conceptualization of St. Joseph as heroic protector of Mary and the Church. Here challenged are the long-held view of the saint's unimportance prior to the Counter Reformation and old assumption that pre-Tridentine images were often intended to demean him."--BOOK JACKET.