The codification of sanctity through garments: the case of Carlo Acutis

The role of clothing in shaping identity and the perception of the body, as theorized by Roland Barthes (1967), is equally fundamental in Catholic Christian culture. The Church regulates the use of liturgical vestments with precise norms, and the symbolic value of garments is repeatedly emphasized in biblical texts (Luke 9:29; Matthew 17:2; Mark 9:29). Holiness itself is codified through clothing, as dress aids in the construction and public recognizability of the saint’s figure. As Delooz (1969) notes, a saint is “always a saint for other people,” indicating that sanctity is inherently social and communicative. The saint becomes a model shaped by many voices—clergy, believers, artists, and now even social media users—through a polyphonic cultural process that generates widely circulated texts and images. Within this framework, the representation of Carlo Acutis exemplifies how vestimentary choices contribute to saintly iconography, revealing the symbolic power of dress in forging a contemporary model of sanctity.