Readers, Sanctity, and History in Early Modern Spain Pedro de Ribadeneyra, the Flos sanctorum, and Catholic Community by Jonathan Edward Greenwood A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in History Carleton University Ottawa, Ontario ©2011 Jonathan Edward Greenwood Library and Archives Bibliotheque et 1*1 Canada Archives Canada Published Heritage Direction du Branch Patrimoine de I'edition 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington OttawaONK1A0N4 OttawaONK1A0N4 Canada Canada Your rile Votre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-83071-0 Our file Notre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-83071-0 NOTICE: AVIS: The author has granted a non­ L'auteur a accorde une licence non exclusive exclusive license allowing Library and permettant a la Bibliotheque et Archives Archives Canada to reproduce, Canada de reproduire, publier, archiver, publish, archive, preserve, conserve, sauvegarder, conserver, transmettre au public communicate to the public by par telecommunication ou par I'lnternet, preter, telecommunication or on the Internet, distribuer et vendre des theses partout dans le loan, distribute and sell theses monde, a des fins commerciales ou autres, sur worldwide, for commercial or non­ support microforme, papier, electronique et/ou commercial purposes, in microform, autres formats. paper, electronic and/or any other formats. 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While these forms may be included Bien que ces formulaires aient inclus dans in the document page count, their la pagination, il n'y aura aucun contenu removal does not represent any loss manquant. of content from the thesis. 1+1 Canada The Department of History recommends to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs acceptance of the thesis Readers, Sanctity, and History in Early Modern Spain Pedro de Ribadeneyra, the Flos sanctorum, and Catholic Community submitted by Jonathan Edward Greenwood, B.A. Hons. in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Paul Nelles, Thesis Supervisor Dominique Marshall, Chair, Department of History Carleton University 20 September 2011 ABSTRACT In early modern Spain and amongst Jesuits, the names Lutheran, Calvinist, and Anglican were synonymous with heresy. This thesis focuses on the Jesuit Pedro de Ribadeneyra (1527-1611) and his vernacular compilation of saints' lives the Flos sanctorum (Flower of the Saints) in late sixteenth and early seventeenth-century Spain. While the theologies between confessions changed extensively, each drew religious inspiration and solace from reading the lives of exemplars immersed in their respective confessional discourses. While Catholicism maintained the cult and the lives of saints in devotion, Catholics toiled to make hagiography into a collection of genres fit for official veneration. Extant since the early church, hagiography was a collection of literary genres about saints, which included their lives, accounts of their relics and miracles, as well as liturgical readings about them. In the early modern era, these texts provided a representation of the impact of print on religious life. Originally, early modern compilations of saints' lives derived from the Legenda aurea (Golden Legend) by Jacobus de Voragine, which circulated broadly since the thirteenth century. By the sixteenth-century and especially after the Protestant Reformations, readers distrusted the lives found in the Legenda aurea. The Flos sanctorum revealed the changing perceptions of sainthood and saints' lives after the Council of Trent. Amongst Catholic hagiographers, Jesuits maintained a prominent position in this culture of reading, writing, and circulating saints' lives. As the central figure of my thesis, Ribadeneyra operated in Madrid and compiled a collection of saints' lives that corresponded with early modern Catholic discourse in the late-sixteenth and early-seventeenth centuries. His collection of saints' lives, the Flos sanctorum, was exceptionally popular amongst early modern Catholic readers. Simon Ditchfield acknowledges that hagiography contains an ignored component of the histories of early modern science, religion, and politics. The exceptions to this trend are the works on early modern hagiography by Ditchfield, Alison Knowles Frazier, and David Collins. Ribadeneyra's Flos sanctorum scarcely appears in the historiography of early modern Catholcism or Spain. Meanwhile, the study of early modern life-writing has expanded to include fruitful discussions on the lives of Protestant reformers, present in the work of Irena Backus, James Michael Weiss, and Robert Kolb. This expansion, however, has not included the study of early modern Spanish or Catholic hagiography. Themes and approaches evident in the historiography of life-writing amongst Protestant confessions appear infrequently in discussions of early modern Catholicism or Spain. This study will examine the saints' lives in Ribadeneyra's Flos sanctorum, which provided narratives for early modern Catholics to assert a religious identity. n IN MEMORIAM STEPHEN MICHAEL GREENWOOD (1959-2010) in ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS After combing through reader prologues, both modern and early modern, I hoped for some proficiency at ackowledging the efforts of others in this thesis before you. I first and foremost have to thank my supervisor, Paul Nelles, for his suggestion of this project, his time spent questioning my assumptions and evidence, as well as his subtle, but firm way of curbing my linguistic excesses. He is also responsible for introducing me to the engaging realm of early modern religion and the history of the book and guiding me through the Monumenta historica Societatis Iesu, while still an undergraduate. I must also extend my gratitude towards Marc Saurette for supporting this project and even reviewing my Latin translations. His fervour for medieval religious history is infectious, its insights have helped me throughout this thesis. As well, I cannot forget the support that Jen Evans provided in my academic life paired with her encouraging publication and sparking an interest in all things visual (yes, even banknotes). For Dominique Marshall, I must praise for her tireless efforts at opening a dialogue amongst graduate students, at taking a keen curiosity in my work, as well as her help in acquiring funding. I also appreciate the assistence that Micheline White provided when I worked as her research assistant. Most important was her enthusiasm and the constant interest she took in my project. I also reserve gratitude for my new supervisor Richard L. Kagan for reading my thesis, offering constant advice, and suggesting monographs and articles to me. I am also indebted to the staffs of numerous libraries, which includes the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Room at Toronto. I reserve a special mention for Christine Taylor at Carleton's Inter-Library Loans Department and her ability to find even the most obscure iv materials. Apart from the comedy of errors at St. Paul's University's Library about a 'homeless guy' amongst the Latin tomes (the one day I forgot to shave), their staff was courteous and always generous in their assistance. I cannot overlook the help of the Hispanic Society of America and the Biblioteca nacional de Espaiia for assisting me in getting digital and microfilm versions of early modern Flos sanctorum since I could not travel to New York and Madrid respectively. I must also thank my other colleagues in the department for their brilliant discussions, consolation, and humour. In this, I single out Erin Bell, Ceilidhe Wynn, Emmanuel Hogg, and the litany of laughter surrounding room 437. I turned to my friends to help remember the world outside of academia. I must thank Justin Rivest, Kathryn Desplanque, Sarah and Johnny Wakim, and Nick Groen for their encouragement and patience, especially when I started to babble about saints. In particular, Justin's knowledge of early modern Europe provoked connections and associations I scarcely had considered before. He also suggested I present my work in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, which was a great idea. I have to thank my famillies, first the Greenwood-Olivet clan, here in Toronto, Ottawa, Portland, Texas, and Guatemala. Of course, I have to express thanks to my parents, Emilia Olivet-Rossal and Kim Greenwood, as well as my brothers Nery and William (he is only Guillermo on weekends). Without my parents, Ribadeneyra's 1599 and the 1601 Flos sanctorum would have remained out of my reach. I am blessed for my grandmother Haydee Rossal-Paiz not only as an exemplar, but also as a continuous reminder of the world's joys outside of books. I also dedicate this thesis to the memory of Uncle Bargoons who departed this past December. Furthermore, I have to include my v new family, the Summerfields, especially my parents-in-law, John and Virginia, who encourage the pursuit of reading and knowledge but also the appreciation of life and the outdoors. I cannot exclude other members of the Summerfield clan of the furry persuasion. They reminded me that stressing over this thesis was of little concern, especially if they did not receive pats or tummy rubs. So thank you Abby, Aspen, T- Bone, Katya, and Jack. Finally, I have to thank my dearest Margaret. Without her companionship, her sustained belief in me, as well as her ability to make me recall what is important, I would have lacked the inspiration to finish my thesis. I also owe much to her, since her Christmas gift provided the microfilms of Villegas's Flos sanctorum from Madrid.