Overview

This groundbreaking Companion explores how Counter-Reformation sanctity reshaped religious identities, sacred traditions, and devotional practices that transformed Catholicism into the first global religion. Offering a fresh perspective on early modern Catholicism, it moves beyond traditional debates about Reformation and Reform and presents sanctity as the defining lens through which to view the period's transformative changes. By examining the lives, representations, and global impact of saints, the Companion demonstrates how sanctity countered the Protestant challenge and also transformed the very fabric of Catholicism between 1500 and 1750. Organized into four thematic sections – models of sanctity, the creation and contestation of sanctity, the representation of saints, and everyday interactions with saints – the volume also provides insight into the role of holiness during this pivotal period in Church history. Connecting history, theology, art history, and material culture, this interdisciplinary Companion serves as an indispensable resource for scholars and students seeking a comprehensive understanding of early modern Catholicism's influence on European and global history.

Full Product Details

Author:   Jan Machielsen (Cardiff University) ,  Emily Michelson (University of St. Andrews, Scotland) ,  Katrina B. Olds (University of San Francisco)
Publisher:   Cambridge University Press
Imprint:   Cambridge University Press
Weight:   0.585kg
ISBN:  

9781009199575

ISBN 10:   1009199579
Pages:   406
Publication Date:   08 January 2026
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand  
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Table of Contents

Introduction Jan Machielsen, Emily Michelson and Katrina B. Olds; Part I. Models of Sanctity: 1. Bishops Madeline McMahon; 2. Martyrs Alejandro Cañeque; 3. Female Saints Rebeca Sanmartín Bastida; 4. The Virgin Mary Christina H. Lee; 5. Black Saints Erin Kathleen Rowe; 6. Catacomb Saints Noria K. Litaker; Part II. Creating and Contesting Sanctity: 7. Canonization Jan Machielsen; 8. Regulating Relics A. Katie Harris; 9. Mysticism and the Discernment of Spirits Eleonora Cappuccilli; 10. Miracles and Holy Bodies Bradford Bouley; Part III. Representing Saints: 11. Liturgy Antoine Mazurek; 12. Hagiography Simon Ditchfield; 13. Images Cloe Cavero de Carondelet; 14. Literature Susannah Brietz Monta; Part IV. Living with Saints: 15. Material Culture Anne Mariss; 16. Confraternities Miguel A. Valerio; 17. Pilgrimage Elizabeth Tingle; Further Reading.

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Author Information

Jan Machielsen is a historian at Cardiff University. His previous publications include The Basque Witch-Hunt (2024) and The Science of Demons (2020). Emily Michelson is Professor of History at the University of St. Andrews. She is the author of Catholic Spectacle and Rome's Jews: Early Modern Conversion and Resistance (2022). Katrina Olds is Professor of History at the University of San Francisco and the author of Forging the Past: Invented Histories in Counter-Reformation Spain (2015).

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