Bridget Morris (ed.)
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780195166446
- eISBN:
- 9780199785049
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195166442.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
St. Birgitta of Sweden (1303-1373, canonized 1391) was one of the most charismatic and influential female visionaries of the later Middle Ages. Altogether, she received some 700 revelations, dealing ...
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St. Birgitta of Sweden (1303-1373, canonized 1391) was one of the most charismatic and influential female visionaries of the later Middle Ages. Altogether, she received some 700 revelations, dealing with subjects ranging from meditations on the human condition, domestic affairs in Sweden, and ecclesiastical matters in Rome, to revelations in praise of the Incarnation and devotion to the Virgin. Her Revelations, collected and ordered by her confessors, circulated widely throughout Europe and long after her death. Many eminent individuals, including Cardinal Juan Torquemada, Jean Gerson, and Martin Luther read and commented on her writings, which influenced the spiritual lives of countless individuals. Birgitta was also the founder of a new monastic order, which still exists today. She is the patron saint of Sweden, and in 2000 was declared (with Catherine of Siena and Edith Stein) co-patroness of Europe. This is the first of four volumes offering the first complete translation of the Revelations into English since the Middle Ages. This volume, which covers Books I-III of the Revelations, contains some of her earliest visions, dating from the 1340s. Book I addresses some of the major themes of her spirituality, and Books II and III contain a sustained critique of the classes of knights and bishops. The introduction outlines the major characteristics of Birgitta's spirituality, her life and work, her style and use of sources, and the main features of her theology.Less
St. Birgitta of Sweden (1303-1373, canonized 1391) was one of the most charismatic and influential female visionaries of the later Middle Ages. Altogether, she received some 700 revelations, dealing with subjects ranging from meditations on the human condition, domestic affairs in Sweden, and ecclesiastical matters in Rome, to revelations in praise of the Incarnation and devotion to the Virgin. Her Revelations, collected and ordered by her confessors, circulated widely throughout Europe and long after her death. Many eminent individuals, including Cardinal Juan Torquemada, Jean Gerson, and Martin Luther read and commented on her writings, which influenced the spiritual lives of countless individuals. Birgitta was also the founder of a new monastic order, which still exists today. She is the patron saint of Sweden, and in 2000 was declared (with Catherine of Siena and Edith Stein) co-patroness of Europe. This is the first of four volumes offering the first complete translation of the Revelations into English since the Middle Ages. This volume, which covers Books I-III of the Revelations, contains some of her earliest visions, dating from the 1340s. Book I addresses some of the major themes of her spirituality, and Books II and III contain a sustained critique of the classes of knights and bishops. The introduction outlines the major characteristics of Birgitta's spirituality, her life and work, her style and use of sources, and the main features of her theology.
Frank Graziano
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- January 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780195136401
- eISBN:
- 9780199835164
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195136403.003.0007
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
Discusses how Rose of Lima, on the model of Christ, offered herself as a sacrificial victim to expiate the sins of natives, Spaniards, and Creoles in the New World. Rose of Lima’s patronage is ...
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Discusses how Rose of Lima, on the model of Christ, offered herself as a sacrificial victim to expiate the sins of natives, Spaniards, and Creoles in the New World. Rose of Lima’s patronage is explored in its relations to the Madonna of Mercy and other antecedents.Less
Discusses how Rose of Lima, on the model of Christ, offered herself as a sacrificial victim to expiate the sins of natives, Spaniards, and Creoles in the New World. Rose of Lima’s patronage is explored in its relations to the Madonna of Mercy and other antecedents.
Maurizio Viroli
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691142357
- eISBN:
- 9781400845514
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691142357.003.0002
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Theory
This chapter focuses on the religious dimension of communes that emerged in northern and central Italy in the eleventh and twelfth centuries. The assemblies of citizens that gave birth to the ...
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This chapter focuses on the religious dimension of communes that emerged in northern and central Italy in the eleventh and twelfth centuries. The assemblies of citizens that gave birth to the communes gathered in churches. Even when public authorities built their own palaces, public council meetings were always preceded by religious ritual. Furthermore, the communes contributed to consecrating the city through paintings and sculptures of the saints, especially those patron saints who had defended the community from external or internal enemies, and hence had an explicitly civic meaning. The cities were religious, and so were the communes. The communes' religious identity and republicanism went hand in hand, and together engendered a republican religion.Less
This chapter focuses on the religious dimension of communes that emerged in northern and central Italy in the eleventh and twelfth centuries. The assemblies of citizens that gave birth to the communes gathered in churches. Even when public authorities built their own palaces, public council meetings were always preceded by religious ritual. Furthermore, the communes contributed to consecrating the city through paintings and sculptures of the saints, especially those patron saints who had defended the community from external or internal enemies, and hence had an explicitly civic meaning. The cities were religious, and so were the communes. The communes' religious identity and republicanism went hand in hand, and together engendered a republican religion.
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- June 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780804781374
- eISBN:
- 9780804784993
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Stanford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.11126/stanford/9780804781374.003.0007
- Subject:
- History, Latin American History
This chapter deals with the worship of patron saints and other nonhousehold saints, confraternities, ritual kinship, and funerals, all aspects of religion that, although often starting in the house, ...
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This chapter deals with the worship of patron saints and other nonhousehold saints, confraternities, ritual kinship, and funerals, all aspects of religion that, although often starting in the house, imply the participation of the community or corporate element. Toluca Valley testators express their devotion to a patron saint in various ways, but one aspect is common to the great majority of them: this devotion falls within the realm of the corporation, literally or figuratively, while the household remains the prerogative of the family saints, and the two realms are in some ways remarkably separate. The cofradías are considered from the point of view of individuals mentioning them in testaments, highlighting features different from those typical of the literature on sodalities. Ritual kinship is also seen through the lens of individual choices, and testaments identify some intriguing aspects of what being a compadre or comadre meant for the indigenous people of the Valley. Funerary practices reveal an interesting mixture of Spanish and indigenous traits, as well as some of the best examples of local habits and subregional variation. The chapter ends with some inquiry into the religious beliefs of the indigenous people of the Valley.Less
This chapter deals with the worship of patron saints and other nonhousehold saints, confraternities, ritual kinship, and funerals, all aspects of religion that, although often starting in the house, imply the participation of the community or corporate element. Toluca Valley testators express their devotion to a patron saint in various ways, but one aspect is common to the great majority of them: this devotion falls within the realm of the corporation, literally or figuratively, while the household remains the prerogative of the family saints, and the two realms are in some ways remarkably separate. The cofradías are considered from the point of view of individuals mentioning them in testaments, highlighting features different from those typical of the literature on sodalities. Ritual kinship is also seen through the lens of individual choices, and testaments identify some intriguing aspects of what being a compadre or comadre meant for the indigenous people of the Valley. Funerary practices reveal an interesting mixture of Spanish and indigenous traits, as well as some of the best examples of local habits and subregional variation. The chapter ends with some inquiry into the religious beliefs of the indigenous people of the Valley.
R. Andrew Chesnut
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199764662
- eISBN:
- 9780199932535
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199764662.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
This book offers a fascinating portrayal of Santa Muerte, a skeleton saint whose cult has attracted millions of devotees over the past decade. Although condemned by mainstream churches, this folk ...
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This book offers a fascinating portrayal of Santa Muerte, a skeleton saint whose cult has attracted millions of devotees over the past decade. Although condemned by mainstream churches, this folk saint's supernatural powers appeal to millions of Latin Americans and immigrants in the U.S. Devotees believe the Bony Lady (as she is affectionately called) to be the fastest and most effective miracle worker, and as such, her statuettes and paraphernalia now outsell those of the Virgin of Guadalupe and Saint Judetwo other giants of Mexican religiosity. In particular, the book shows Santa Muerte has become the patron saint of drug traffickers, playing an important role as protector of peddlers of crystal meth and marijuana; DEA agents and Mexican police often find her altars in the safe houses of drug smugglers. Yet Saint Death plays other important roles: she is a supernatural healer, love doctor, money-maker, lawyer, and angel of death. She has become without doubt one of the most popular and powerful saints on both the Mexican and American religious landscapes.Less
This book offers a fascinating portrayal of Santa Muerte, a skeleton saint whose cult has attracted millions of devotees over the past decade. Although condemned by mainstream churches, this folk saint's supernatural powers appeal to millions of Latin Americans and immigrants in the U.S. Devotees believe the Bony Lady (as she is affectionately called) to be the fastest and most effective miracle worker, and as such, her statuettes and paraphernalia now outsell those of the Virgin of Guadalupe and Saint Judetwo other giants of Mexican religiosity. In particular, the book shows Santa Muerte has become the patron saint of drug traffickers, playing an important role as protector of peddlers of crystal meth and marijuana; DEA agents and Mexican police often find her altars in the safe houses of drug smugglers. Yet Saint Death plays other important roles: she is a supernatural healer, love doctor, money-maker, lawyer, and angel of death. She has become without doubt one of the most popular and powerful saints on both the Mexican and American religious landscapes.
Scott Kugle
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- July 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780807830819
- eISBN:
- 9781469602684
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of North Carolina Press
- DOI:
- 10.5149/9780807872772_kugle.8
- Subject:
- Religion, Religious Studies
This chapter analyzes a tomb shrine built over the long-dead but still-present body of the patron saint of Fās (the city of Fes, or Fez, Morocco) in the late fifteenth century (the beginning of the ...
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This chapter analyzes a tomb shrine built over the long-dead but still-present body of the patron saint of Fās (the city of Fes, or Fez, Morocco) in the late fifteenth century (the beginning of the early modern period). It explores how the bones of dead saints are pegs that secure the foundation of our human social world, acting as pivot points in time and space that establish a sacred order. The chapter notes that the tombs of saints and other relic shrines create “a privileged suspension of the flat tyranny of distance” in monotheistic societies, as pointed out by Peter Brown. It also explores the posthumuous legacy of one body, that of the saint–king of Morocco, Mawlay Idris al-Azhar, who founded the city of Fes.Less
This chapter analyzes a tomb shrine built over the long-dead but still-present body of the patron saint of Fās (the city of Fes, or Fez, Morocco) in the late fifteenth century (the beginning of the early modern period). It explores how the bones of dead saints are pegs that secure the foundation of our human social world, acting as pivot points in time and space that establish a sacred order. The chapter notes that the tombs of saints and other relic shrines create “a privileged suspension of the flat tyranny of distance” in monotheistic societies, as pointed out by Peter Brown. It also explores the posthumuous legacy of one body, that of the saint–king of Morocco, Mawlay Idris al-Azhar, who founded the city of Fes.
Leah Sarat
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- March 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780814759370
- eISBN:
- 9780814724675
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- NYU Press
- DOI:
- 10.18574/nyu/9780814759370.003.0002
- Subject:
- Anthropology, Latin American Cultural Anthropology
This chapter examines religious and material change in El Alberto from Catholic perspectives. More specifically, it considers the transformation of El Alberto's patron saint festival and the ...
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This chapter examines religious and material change in El Alberto from Catholic perspectives. More specifically, it considers the transformation of El Alberto's patron saint festival and the emergence of a collective labor system that exists today. It explores the dilemma faced by Catholics and other non-evangelicals in El Alberto with respect to keeping their patron saint festival afloat in the face of the increasing number of people converting to Pentecostalism or leaving for the United States. It shows that the town's Catholics attribute socioeconomic development to a diverse combination of political and material causes, rather than religion. It explains how Catholics managed to retain the solidarity-building function of the traditional festivals by transferring it to the secular realm, as El Alberto's system of collective labor came to provide an infrastructure for community projects. The chapter concludes by focusing on how an ethic of collective participation made way for cooperation between Catholics and Protestants as they generate alternatives to migration.Less
This chapter examines religious and material change in El Alberto from Catholic perspectives. More specifically, it considers the transformation of El Alberto's patron saint festival and the emergence of a collective labor system that exists today. It explores the dilemma faced by Catholics and other non-evangelicals in El Alberto with respect to keeping their patron saint festival afloat in the face of the increasing number of people converting to Pentecostalism or leaving for the United States. It shows that the town's Catholics attribute socioeconomic development to a diverse combination of political and material causes, rather than religion. It explains how Catholics managed to retain the solidarity-building function of the traditional festivals by transferring it to the secular realm, as El Alberto's system of collective labor came to provide an infrastructure for community projects. The chapter concludes by focusing on how an ethic of collective participation made way for cooperation between Catholics and Protestants as they generate alternatives to migration.
Alyshia Galvez
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- March 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780814732144
- eISBN:
- 9780814733134
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- NYU Press
- DOI:
- 10.18574/nyu/9780814732144.001.0001
- Subject:
- Anthropology, Anthropology, Religion
Every December 12, thousands of Mexican immigrants gather for the mass at New York City's St. Patrick's Cathedral in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe's feast day. They kiss images of the Virgin, wait ...
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Every December 12, thousands of Mexican immigrants gather for the mass at New York City's St. Patrick's Cathedral in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe's feast day. They kiss images of the Virgin, wait for a bishop's blessing—and they also carry signs asking for immigration reform, much like political protestors. It is this juxtaposition of religion and politics that this book investigates in Guadalupe in New York. The Virgin of Guadalupe is a profound symbol for Mexican and Mexican-American Catholics and the patron saint of their country. Her name has been invoked in war and in peace, and her image has been painted on walls, printed on T-shirts, and worshipped at countless shrines. For undocumented Mexicans in New York, Guadalupe continues to be a powerful presence as they struggle to gain citizenship in a new country. Through rich ethnographic research that illuminates Catholicism as practiced by Mexicans in New York, the book shows that it is through Guadalupan devotion that many undocumented immigrants are finding the will and vocabulary to demand rights, immigration reform, and respect. It also reveals how such devotion supports and emboldens immigrants in their struggle to provide for their families and create their lives in the city with dignity.Less
Every December 12, thousands of Mexican immigrants gather for the mass at New York City's St. Patrick's Cathedral in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe's feast day. They kiss images of the Virgin, wait for a bishop's blessing—and they also carry signs asking for immigration reform, much like political protestors. It is this juxtaposition of religion and politics that this book investigates in Guadalupe in New York. The Virgin of Guadalupe is a profound symbol for Mexican and Mexican-American Catholics and the patron saint of their country. Her name has been invoked in war and in peace, and her image has been painted on walls, printed on T-shirts, and worshipped at countless shrines. For undocumented Mexicans in New York, Guadalupe continues to be a powerful presence as they struggle to gain citizenship in a new country. Through rich ethnographic research that illuminates Catholicism as practiced by Mexicans in New York, the book shows that it is through Guadalupan devotion that many undocumented immigrants are finding the will and vocabulary to demand rights, immigration reform, and respect. It also reveals how such devotion supports and emboldens immigrants in their struggle to provide for their families and create their lives in the city with dignity.
William John Lyons
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- April 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780199695911
- eISBN:
- 9780191773754
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199695911.003.0007
- Subject:
- Religion, Biblical Studies, Religion and Literature
This chapter examines Joseph's appearances in wider twentieth- and twenty-first-century Western culture. These include his place in church-related institutions and practices, including his role as a ...
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This chapter examines Joseph's appearances in wider twentieth- and twenty-first-century Western culture. These include his place in church-related institutions and practices, including his role as a patron saint for tin miners, tin workers, and funeral workers; fictional retellings of Joseph's own story, which reveal adjustments in both pre- and post-crucifixion Joseph lore; and two contrasting images of Joseph presented by author Phil Rickman in his The Chalice: A Glastonbury Ghost Story (1997). Joseph's appearances in cinema is examined through Brian Gilbert's The Gathering (2003), alongside the works of Pasolini and Zeffirelli, and the adventures of Indiana Jones. The development of a significant Joseph tradition as a spirit guide channelled by contemporary mediums in England is then considered. Finally, the chapter discusses recent scholarly exchanges about the possibility that Joseph never existed; and comments on the nature of the ‘real Joseph’, a shadowy historical figure who fades into insignificance when compared with his many vital presentations in reception history and who is powerless to force even all of biblical scholarship to acknowledge his presence.Less
This chapter examines Joseph's appearances in wider twentieth- and twenty-first-century Western culture. These include his place in church-related institutions and practices, including his role as a patron saint for tin miners, tin workers, and funeral workers; fictional retellings of Joseph's own story, which reveal adjustments in both pre- and post-crucifixion Joseph lore; and two contrasting images of Joseph presented by author Phil Rickman in his The Chalice: A Glastonbury Ghost Story (1997). Joseph's appearances in cinema is examined through Brian Gilbert's The Gathering (2003), alongside the works of Pasolini and Zeffirelli, and the adventures of Indiana Jones. The development of a significant Joseph tradition as a spirit guide channelled by contemporary mediums in England is then considered. Finally, the chapter discusses recent scholarly exchanges about the possibility that Joseph never existed; and comments on the nature of the ‘real Joseph’, a shadowy historical figure who fades into insignificance when compared with his many vital presentations in reception history and who is powerless to force even all of biblical scholarship to acknowledge his presence.
Veronica West-Harling
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- January 2021
- ISBN:
- 9780198754206
- eISBN:
- 9780191815942
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198754206.003.0006
- Subject:
- History, European Medieval History, Cultural History
This chapter shows the exercising of power in action in the public space. It looks at who ‘owns’ this, the Christianization of it in Rome, and the increasing role of the papacy in appropriating and ...
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This chapter shows the exercising of power in action in the public space. It looks at who ‘owns’ this, the Christianization of it in Rome, and the increasing role of the papacy in appropriating and in running it, revalorizing it as part of Rome’s Christian past and present, expressed through pilgrimage. This appropriation is contested by the secular aristocracy, which in turn appropriates the public space and rewrites the topography of the city in the tenth century. The use of the public space as an area of either social cohesion or conflict is studied, through the ceremonies, elections, oaths, processions, assemblies, justice and defence meetings; but also riots, conspiracies, and contested elections. This space of cohesion or conflict is fundamental to the creation of the unity and sense of identity of the city, especially around the patron saint or, sometimes, around or indeed against an imperial rulerLess
This chapter shows the exercising of power in action in the public space. It looks at who ‘owns’ this, the Christianization of it in Rome, and the increasing role of the papacy in appropriating and in running it, revalorizing it as part of Rome’s Christian past and present, expressed through pilgrimage. This appropriation is contested by the secular aristocracy, which in turn appropriates the public space and rewrites the topography of the city in the tenth century. The use of the public space as an area of either social cohesion or conflict is studied, through the ceremonies, elections, oaths, processions, assemblies, justice and defence meetings; but also riots, conspiracies, and contested elections. This space of cohesion or conflict is fundamental to the creation of the unity and sense of identity of the city, especially around the patron saint or, sometimes, around or indeed against an imperial ruler
James R. Hines
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- April 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780252039065
- eISBN:
- 9780252097041
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Illinois Press
- DOI:
- 10.5406/illinois/9780252039065.003.0001
- Subject:
- Sociology, Sport and Leisure
Today, skating on artificial ice in indoor rinks is a year-round recreational activity enjoyed by people of all ages and abilities as well as a sport both amateur and professional that enjoys ...
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Today, skating on artificial ice in indoor rinks is a year-round recreational activity enjoyed by people of all ages and abilities as well as a sport both amateur and professional that enjoys unprecedented popularity. But throughout most of its history, ice skating has been an activity limited to short seasons and possible only in countries where lakes, ponds, canals, or other bodies of water provide frozen surfaces on which skaters could enjoy the challenge and excitement of gliding across natural ice. In the ancient world, long before skating became a recreational activity or a sport, those same frozen surfaces provided a different kind of challenge. Passage over them was a necessity for survival during harsh winter months. This chapter traces the history of ice skating before the advent of competitive figure skating. It discusses mythology and the earliest skaters; the earliest skates; an early account of recreational skating; skating as a tool of warfare; figure skating's patron saint, the virgin Lydwina of Schiedam.Less
Today, skating on artificial ice in indoor rinks is a year-round recreational activity enjoyed by people of all ages and abilities as well as a sport both amateur and professional that enjoys unprecedented popularity. But throughout most of its history, ice skating has been an activity limited to short seasons and possible only in countries where lakes, ponds, canals, or other bodies of water provide frozen surfaces on which skaters could enjoy the challenge and excitement of gliding across natural ice. In the ancient world, long before skating became a recreational activity or a sport, those same frozen surfaces provided a different kind of challenge. Passage over them was a necessity for survival during harsh winter months. This chapter traces the history of ice skating before the advent of competitive figure skating. It discusses mythology and the earliest skaters; the earliest skates; an early account of recreational skating; skating as a tool of warfare; figure skating's patron saint, the virgin Lydwina of Schiedam.
Judith Pollmann
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- July 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780198797555
- eISBN:
- 9780191838996
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198797555.003.0005
- Subject:
- History, European Early Modern History
Scholars of nationalism have argued that any national consciousness before 1800 was the province of small elites, who had little interest in engaging subjects in a national project, and lacked the ...
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Scholars of nationalism have argued that any national consciousness before 1800 was the province of small elites, who had little interest in engaging subjects in a national project, and lacked the technologies to do so. Highlighting the wide range of media available to early modern communities, this chapter argues that forms of national memory spread through the lively practice of local memory. Local memory practices, initially mostly associated with religious purposes, were used both to shape communal identities and to distinguish that community from other communities. They could be used to assert one’s importance to the larger world of region, state, kingdom, and nation, and conversely, rulers might forge a relationship with a community by becoming a stakeholder in a local memory culture. In this way notions of the national could spread and be used as a rhetorical tool in early modern society, without destroying alternative ways of thinking about the past, like the local.Less
Scholars of nationalism have argued that any national consciousness before 1800 was the province of small elites, who had little interest in engaging subjects in a national project, and lacked the technologies to do so. Highlighting the wide range of media available to early modern communities, this chapter argues that forms of national memory spread through the lively practice of local memory. Local memory practices, initially mostly associated with religious purposes, were used both to shape communal identities and to distinguish that community from other communities. They could be used to assert one’s importance to the larger world of region, state, kingdom, and nation, and conversely, rulers might forge a relationship with a community by becoming a stakeholder in a local memory culture. In this way notions of the national could spread and be used as a rhetorical tool in early modern society, without destroying alternative ways of thinking about the past, like the local.