Miracolo a Mezzogiorno. Tra santi, madonne, guaritrici e medici nell'età moderna

Until the early nineteenth century, for centuries, generations of women and men lived in the belief, hope, and expectation of a supernatural intervention that would resolve the problems of a daily life marked by physical suffering and insecurities of every kind. By resorting to miracles, the faithful had the opportunity to carve out a privileged space in their relationship with the divine, excluding ecclesiastical mediation; and, if that did not work, they could turn to healers, sorcerers, witches, and saints who vied for the legitimacy of healing. To safeguard the monopoly of "access to the divine," a "regulation" of miracles, suited to the needs of the Church, was necessary. Miracles were relocated to sacred places, in direct contact with relics, and restricted to the most orthodox models. The "other" manipulators of the sacred were opposed through the Inquisition and the unscrupulous use of modern medical science itself; but above all by saturating the “market” with propaganda about the powers of the Virgin and the Saints.