Madonnas That Maim: Popular Catholicism in Italy since the Fifteenth Century

by Michael P. Carroll

"This is an excellent summary of the most recent literature on the subject (especially of studies in Italian); and it is also a superb compendium of specific religious practices and of scholarly approaches to them."― Journal of Modern History

Genres: Religion, Catholic

Hardcover

First published April 1, 1992

Reviews

[Monica Mitri · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book Michael Carroll presents popular Italian Catholicism, defining it as “all the beliefs associated with supernatural beings that have been legitimated by the Church (at least at the local level), as long as the associated rituals are performed publicly and involve the participation of clergy” (11). He studies it from the 15th century in its uniqueness, arguing that most Anglophone scholarship cannot access Italian scholarship (which has exceeded it), and when it does, tends to misinterpret its phenomena. For this reason, his chapters include much summarizing and critiquing of Italian and Anglophone scholarship. Carroll presents his own analysis of Italian Catholicism in the final chapter – following Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic approach.
The book is engaging, highly readable, and relevant not only to scholars but to anyone interested in popular Italian Catholicism. Carroll highlights the unique characteristics – or at least those most visible – in it, such as the metacults of Christ, Mary and the saints, the numerous Madonnas of Italian Catholic piety, elements of bizarre physical pain in worship, and of course, "Madonnas that maim."

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has to be one of the most random things I’ve read in a while, but also the most interetsing. I was raised, and continue to be culturally, Catholic, and while I don’t Believe I also don’t question a lot of the aspects of my upbringing that are actually in hindsight quite weird. Like the fact that I was an altar-server. For some reason that strikes me as egrgiously weird. But there were other things that I had simply never thought about. Some of them were personal and some more general:

The distinction between santo edificante – exemplary saint favoured by the Church – and santo miracolante – miraculous saint favoured by the people – is interesting.

The procession as central and the church only a space to hold the sacred images between processions.

The concept of direct apparitions having no counterpart among Protestants, whose whole thing is direct contact with the divine.

The divide between North and South Italy being exactly the same as between North and South Europe!

The people giving out to San Gennaro when his blood didn’t liquefy quickly enough and the fact that this protected the city of Naples but was never put into question.

‘Definitions are intellectual tools whose function is to sensitise us to particular aspects of the phenomena being investigated. They can thus be useful or not useful, but not true or false.’

I like this definition of definitions!

‘The second is that distinctions and subtleties that strike us as unimportant, hardly worth mentioning, could easily have been central to the devout of previous centuries and, for that reason, might provide the key to understanding the very thing we are studying.’

And this reminds me of why books like The Name of the Rose are so absorbing, because they take this point SERIOUSLY. And why concepts like anything Leigh Bardugo writes aren’t, because she doesn’t.

[Jerry Carbone · Rating 4 out of 5]

I came across this book via an interview on the Italian American Experience podcast with an author who cited it in his book. If you want an understanding of why Italians, especially southern Italians, hold their patron saints and the Madonna so close their hearts, rather than Christ, and Catholic "officialdom," then read this highly readable academic treatise on the subject.

[Amara Grajewski · Rating 3 out of 5]

i found this to be a great foundation for my study of mary in an italian, roman catholic context. it very helpfully consolidates historical accounts that are otherwise obscure and existed before only in italian. a bit outdated with its conclusion, which is rooted in psychoanalysis.