SEMINAR
23-03-2026

Mystical marriage in post-Roman Iberian hagiography
Blanca Soto Martínez (Universidad de Alicante)

This conference analyzes the treatment of mystical marriage and consecrated virginity in post-Roman Iberian hagiography, based on a comparison between the Flos Sanctorum (1578) by the Castilian Alonso de Villegas and the Flos Sanctorum (1567) by the Portuguese Friar Diogo do Rosário. The study takes as its corpus three paradigmatic hagiographic figures of the sponsa Christi model -Santa Inés, Santa Cecilia and Santa Catalina de Alejandría- and examines how each compiler constructs, through concrete narrative decisions, a different image of female sanctity and spiritual authority on the post-Roman horizon.

The analysis reveals that, although both authors share the same theological background and work within the limits imposed by the Reformation, their methods differ consistently: Villegas opts for the previous doctrinal framework and institutional legitimization, while Rosario strives for narrative immersion and the preservation of marvellous medieval elements. This divergence ultimately translates into a different conception of female agency within the spousal model: the Rosario saint converts, catechizes, prophesies and accompanies in life, while the Villegas saint concentrates her spiritual authority on the moment of martyrdom. The study concludes that mystical marriage is not a fixed motif that post-Roman authors simply transmit, but a concept negotiated through narrative choices that reflect different readers, traditions and reception horizons on both sides of the Iberian border.

Humanities Lab (FLUP, Piso 0) | 15.30 h
Hybrid session: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/36459991939170?p=Tk4ig628AkYt6A9R6C

Organization: Sociabilities and Religious Practices (CITCEM Research Group)