ABSTRACT
In early modern Europe, succour of compatriots captured by the so-called “infidels” (Ottoman Turks and their North African allies) assumed different forms in the Catholic and Protestant worlds, but there was a rich range of nuances even in that part of Europe remaining true to the Roman faith. This argument is supported by the comparison of two confraternity models, both named after the Most Holy Trinity and founded with the identical purpose of the “redemption of slaves” at more or less the same time in two places affected by the phenomenon of corsair attacks: Venice and Brugge/Bruges. Public control appears to extend over almost every aspect of the Venetian institution’s activities, while it seems that the actions of the Flemish confraternity were carried out within the limits of a devout association’s charity, in compliance with the directives promulgated by the charitable sensitivity of the Church or religious orders. Such different approaches are also emphasised and confirmed in the paintings, which still decorate the seats of the two confraternities in Venice and Brugge/Bruges today.
