The Mystery of Mount Vesuvius's Crosses: Belief, Credulity, and Credibility in Post-Reformation Catholicism

In the summer of 1660, Mount Vesuvius began to erupt. After about a month, the volcano quieted down, but a strange and upsetting phenomenon started to manifest: all over the city of Naples and in the neighboring communities, a series of red and black crosses appeared on people's linens, clothes...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of the history of ideas Vol. 83; no. 2; pp. 207 - 227
Main Author Tutino, Stefania
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States University of Pennsylvania Press 01.04.2022
Subjects
Catholicism
Catholics
Christianity
Christians
Credibility
Culture
Heresy
Mothers
Parent-child relations
Protestant Reformation
Religion
Social interaction
Theologians
Theology
Truth
Volcanoes
Word meaning
Mount Vesuvius
Europe
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Summary:In the summer of 1660, Mount Vesuvius began to erupt. After about a month, the volcano quieted down, but a strange and upsetting phenomenon started to manifest: all over the city of Naples and in the neighboring communities, a series of red and black crosses appeared on people's linens, clothes, and bodies. This essay focuses on this mysterious appearance and on the debate it provoked, using it as a case study to investigate the relationship between credulity, credibility, and belief in post-Reformation Catholicism.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
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ISSN:0022-5037
1086-3222
1086-3222
DOI:10.1353/jhi.2022.0010