Publication
Title
'Religious virtuosi' and charismatic leaders : the public authority of mystic women in nineteenth-century Italy
Author
Abstract
This article analyses the fama sanctitatis of three mystic women who lived in Italy in the nineteenth century. Through their exceptional phenomena, they earned celebrity and notoriety, becoming charismatic leaders in their communities. These women had an impact on contemporary society by providing innovative models. For the nuns locked in monasteries, Maria Rosa Serra (1766-after 1806) was a model of an active nun. To the ‘angels of the hearth’, Elisabetta Canori Mora (1774–1825) proved that holiness could also be achieved in the domestic sphere. In contrast to the image of the secluded virgin, Maria Domenica Lazzeri (1815–1848) was a model of the ‘victim souls’ in a semi-public place. The analysis of these women allows us to learn more about the charismatic power in the construction of religious celebrities; the women’s role in the nineteenth century; the creation of new models and the autonomy granted them by the Church.
Language
English
Source (journal)
Women's history review. - Wallingford
Publication
Abingdon : Routledge journals, taylor & francis ltd , 2020
ISSN
0961-2025 [print]
1747-583X [online]
DOI
10.1080/09612025.2019.1590500
Volume/pages
29 :1 , p. 90-108
ISI
000463403500001
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
Full text (open access)
UAntwerpen
Faculty/Department
Research group
Project info
Between saints and celebrities. The devotion and promotion of stigmatics in Europe, c.1800-1950 (STIGMATICS).
Publication type
Subject
Affiliation
Publications with a UAntwerp address
External links
Web of Science
Record
Identifier
Creation 18.04.2019
Last edited 24.11.2024
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