The Ritual Economy: Charity and Worship in Early Modern Lombardy

Emanuele C. Colombo ()
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Emanuele C. Colombo: Catholic University

Chapter Chapter 5 in Social Support Systems in Rural Italy, 2023, pp 125-150 from Palgrave Macmillan

Abstract: Abstract A 1670 inventory concerning the income of an altar in the parish church of Ghemme (Province of Novara) lists 12 different credit instruments. The credits, towards both individuals and communities, were intended not only to finance the activity of the altar (one mass a day until the end of time) but in general to support the religious and social life of the community. This example illuminates the backbone of a very complex ritual economy, hitherto very little explored by historians. The most striking aspect is the ways in which social life is created by the agency of religion: a literal forest of social bodies carpets in early modern Europe. This intense social life is backed by a circular economy, where material and spiritual goods converge and reinforce each other. ‘Supporting’ does not simply mean providing some form of assistance, but also collecting credit. What we call social life is generated precisely at the crossroads of these two different needs.

Date: 2023
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:pal:palscp:978-3-031-24303-5_5

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DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-24303-5_5

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