This chapter examines the physical manifestations of mysticism, focusing on the link between the redemptive pain of “victim souls” in life and the “celestial beauty” of their bodies post-mortem. It explores the meanings attributed to these prodigies by both the faithful and the clergy, the associated practices, and the popular cults that emerged. Through selected 19th-century Italian case studies (including Maria Cira Destro, Gaspare del Bufalo, Paola Frassinetti, and Anna Maria Taigi), the paper reveals how various groups interpreted these exceptional phenomena. It highlights their differing meanings, explanations, and diverse responses, oscillating between acceptance and condemnation.
Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Italy - ORCID: 0000-0002-0026-4036
Chapter Title
Heavenly beauty: the eternal reward for earthly suffering. Stories of prodigies and corporeal phenomena in nineteenth-century Italy
Authors
Leonardo Rossi
Language
English
DOI
10.36253/979-12-215-1072-0.11
Peer Reviewed
Publication Year
2026
Copyright Information
© 2026 Author(s)
Content License
Metadata License
Book Title
Pain fragments
Book Subtitle
Practising Catholicism in the 19th and 20th centuries
Editors
Tine Van Osselaer, Leonardo Rossi, Kristof Smeyers, Maria Heidegger
Peer Reviewed
Number of Pages
184
Publication Year
2026
Copyright Information
© 2026 Author(s)
Content License
Metadata License
Publisher Name
Firenze University Press
DOI
10.36253/979-12-215-1072-0
ISBN Print
979-12-215-1071-3
eISBN (pdf)
979-12-215-1072-0
eISBN (epub)
979-12-215-1073-7
Series Title
Fragmentaria. Studi di storia culturale e antropologia religiosa
Series ISSN
2975-1217
Series E-ISSN
2975-1225