"Wonder Nuns": Sor Patrocinio, the Politics of the Supernatural, and Republican Caricature

This paper examines the relationship between politics and the supernatural in nineteenth-century Spain through the figure of Sor Patrocinio: a stigmatized nun and advisor to Queen Isabel II of Spain. I introduce Sor Patrocinio as an example of a "wonder nun:" a type of ultra-charismatic, s...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Graus, Andrea (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Wiley-Blackwell [2018]
In: Journal of religious history
Year: 2018, Volume: 42, Issue: 4, Pages: 568-590
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B Quiroga, María Rafaela 1811-1891 / Charismatikerin / Spain / Political Catholicism / Liberalism
RelBib Classification:KBH Iberian Peninsula
KDB Roman Catholic Church
Online Access: Presumably Free Access
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Summary:This paper examines the relationship between politics and the supernatural in nineteenth-century Spain through the figure of Sor Patrocinio: a stigmatized nun and advisor to Queen Isabel II of Spain. I introduce Sor Patrocinio as an example of a "wonder nun:" a type of ultra-charismatic, supposedly supernaturally gifted religious woman who influenced her country's political agenda. During Sor Patrocinio's rise to fame, she lost control of her public image. In their efforts to dethrone Isabel II, Spanish republicans transformed Sor Patrocinio into a politico-religious symbol, a living reminder of the anti-liberal and neo-Catholic tendencies attributed to Isabel II and her clique. On the one hand, her case exemplifies the struggle of liberalism to form modern nations in Europe. On the other, it shows how some religious women obtained power through their experience of the supernatural during the "culture wars" of the period, reflecting how such experience was shaped by political affairs.
ISSN:1467-9809
Contains:Enthalten in: Journal of religious history
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1111/1467-9809.12544