‘Santo’ Espúrio - Frei Damião de Bozzano: histórias e memórias no sertão paraibano.

Abstract

The present work, titled 'Santo' Espúrio - Frei Damião de Bozzano: stories and memories in the Sertão Paraíba, seeks to investigate several forms of construction of the memories about Frei Damião de Bozzano in the Brazilian Northeast, emphasizing its public performance in this space and the appropriation of its popularity by the political groups in the region. We start from the representations of the Frade by memorialists and contextualize the memories from the monuments built in Guarabira and Sousa, municipalities of Paraíba. We discussed his social representation and his influence on the population, which had, and still has, great devotion for him. We sought to understand how the population preferred it, understanding that among so many priests and religious, the Capuchin Friar was one of the most popular and most devotees. Approaching the studies of Cultural History, especially the ideas of Roger Chartier and Peter Bucker, we also sought to relate our study to the concept of memory and its relation to History. As historical sources we used newspaper clippings of the time and historiographical productions about Frei Damião, as well as popular reports about it as a documentary source.