In 1851, the Dean and Chapter of the Cathedral of Mexico City met to inspect the relics of St. Primitivo and St. Hilaria, Roman martyrs donated in 1693. The antiquity of the sacred bones made it necessary to search for the documents of their donation in the cathedral archive, as well as to review the norms dictated by the Sacred Congregation of Rites to ensure the validity of their veneration, in case there was any doubt about their authenticity. Ten years later, the relics of St. Pius, another Roman martyr extracted from the Cemetery of St. Callixtus, were donated by Pope Pius IX to the Metropolitan Cathedral of Mexico City. Upon its arrival, a discussion began about how to present the bones for public veneration and how to determine the day to celebrate his feast day, a matter that even reached the Pope himself when his opinion was requested through the Sacred Congregation of Indulgences and Relics. These events not only demonstrate the transplantation of the norms established by the Holy See regarding relics to America, but also the survival of a practice that began in the sixteenth century, when Roman catacomb martyrs were first donated to the Christian world. The objective of this proposal is to present, through the dialogue of archival sources between Rome and Mexico, the transplantation and continuity of the norms established by the Holy See regarding the veneration of relics since the sixteenth century, specifically those from the Roman catacombs, into the nineteenth century. This period, a complex time for the Mexican Church, also provides an interesting context for analyzing the continued devotion to these ancient martyrs, symbols of the rise of Christianity.

"Origins and Legitimacy of a Practice. The Veneration of Ancient Catacomb Martyrs in the Cathedral of Mexico (1850-1860)".

Montserrat Andrea Báez Hernández
2024-01-01

Abstract

In 1851, the Dean and Chapter of the Cathedral of Mexico City met to inspect the relics of St. Primitivo and St. Hilaria, Roman martyrs donated in 1693. The antiquity of the sacred bones made it necessary to search for the documents of their donation in the cathedral archive, as well as to review the norms dictated by the Sacred Congregation of Rites to ensure the validity of their veneration, in case there was any doubt about their authenticity. Ten years later, the relics of St. Pius, another Roman martyr extracted from the Cemetery of St. Callixtus, were donated by Pope Pius IX to the Metropolitan Cathedral of Mexico City. Upon its arrival, a discussion began about how to present the bones for public veneration and how to determine the day to celebrate his feast day, a matter that even reached the Pope himself when his opinion was requested through the Sacred Congregation of Indulgences and Relics. These events not only demonstrate the transplantation of the norms established by the Holy See regarding relics to America, but also the survival of a practice that began in the sixteenth century, when Roman catacomb martyrs were first donated to the Christian world. The objective of this proposal is to present, through the dialogue of archival sources between Rome and Mexico, the transplantation and continuity of the norms established by the Holy See regarding the veneration of relics since the sixteenth century, specifically those from the Roman catacombs, into the nineteenth century. This period, a complex time for the Mexican Church, also provides an interesting context for analyzing the continued devotion to these ancient martyrs, symbols of the rise of Christianity.
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11575/155020
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