The Spiritual Diagram: Theology and Didactics in Saint John of the Cross
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A part from writing his main poems, commentaries and treatises, the Spanish mystic Saint John of the Cross (1542-1591) drew a diagram called the Mount of Perfection (ca.1580) in which he synthesised his spiritual doctrine. This paper aims to show that Saint John of the Cross conceived the drawing of the inner mountain as a didactical tool, having the characteristics of Visual Poetry. The article is in two parts. Firstly, I will put the diagram in its historical context. I will explain that the function of the Mount of Perfection is mainly didactic. Indeed, Saint John carried out the cura monialium with Carmelite nuns, who did not understand the symbolic/allegorical language of his poems and asked him for a new textual format. Secondly, I will show the reason why one can talk about a theological shape poem, a synthetic and mystagogical image which has also the features of the ars memoriae. The apophatic language shapes the graphical way that goes from the bottom of the mountain to the summit/centre of the soul. According to Saint John of the Cross, a good use of images is possible although the spirit of perfection has to reject eventually any visual apprehension.