This book explores one of the most ambitious campaigns undertaken by Spanish Empire: the “invasion” of Catholic altars with an unprecedented number of saints. Between 1500 and 1700, more than half of the saints canonized by the pope hailed from Spain and the Spanish colonies. Whilst scholarship has suggested that this trend evidenced a power imbalance between the Crown and the Holy See, this work proposes a more dynamic interpretation. By revealing previously unexplored networks established between Spain, Italy, and the Americas for the flow of pious capitals, this study demonstrates that the sanctification en masse of Hispanic candidates promoted a potent cultural narrative: one that bolstered Spain’s spiritual hegemony within the Catholic world, thereby legitimizing its political rule on a global scale.
University of Teramo, Italy - ORCID: 0000-0003-1103-9851
Book Title
La conquista del paraíso
Book Subtitle
Modelos de santidad, procesos de canonización y limosnas en la Monarquía Hispánica, 1500–1700
Authors
Eduardo Ángel Cruz
Peer Reviewed
Number of Pages
304
Publication Year
2026
Copyright Information
© 2026 Author(s)
Content License
Metadata License
Publisher Name
Firenze University Press
DOI
10.36253/979-12-215-0956-4
ISBN Print
979-12-215-0955-7
eISBN (pdf)
979-12-215-0956-4
eISBN (xml)
979-12-215-0957-1
Series Title
Premio Istituto Sangalli per la storia religiosa
Series ISSN
2704-5749
Series E-ISSN
2612-8071