The Kongolese Saint Anthony: Dona Beatriz Kimpa Vita and the Antonian Movement, 1684–1706

by John K. Thornton

Dona Beatriz Kimpa Vita was a young Kongolese woman who in 1704 claimed to be possessed by St. Anthony, argued that Jesus was a Kongolese, criticized Italian Capuchin missionaries for not supporting black saints, and attempted to stop the devastating cycle of civil wars between contenders for the Kongolese throne. She was burned at the stake in 1706. Background information is supplied on Kongo, the development of Catholicism there, and the role of local warfare in the Atlantic slave trade.

Genres: History, Africa, Religion, Nonfiction, Biography, Christianity

238 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

A specialist in the history of Africa, the African Diaspora and the Atlantic world, John K. Thornton is professor of African American Studies and History at Boston University.