Sainthood in the Early Modern Hispanic World

The sixteenth century witnessed the expansion of Spain's empire on a global scale. Catholicism played a critical role in the Spanish colonization campaign, with the cult of saints at the centre of an expansionist agenda. In this study, Jonathan Greenwood offers an interdisciplinary study of the recognition and veneration of sainthood through the case study of the canonization of Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits. Integral to this phenomenon were the miracles and devotional objects that navigated through the official canonization process conducted in Europe, which was overseen by the Church hierarchy and its oftentimes unsanctioned counterparts. Greenwood demonstrates how non-European cultic devotions to Ignatius were made manifest through images, relics, and reports of intercessions. Although the Pope's role in the naming of a saint was paramount, the uninhibited practices of colonial subjects proved to be equally important and worthy of consideration, culminating in the canonization of Ignatius.