A capela de Nossa Senhora do Perpétuo Socorro em Esperança-PB: a construção da memória e seu uso político.

Abstract

This research analyzes how the chapel of Our Lady of Perpetual Help became a place of memory addressing religiosity, in what concerns the faith on the part of the hopeful. It seeks, in this sense, to problematize the political use that the chapel gained due to its importance as a symbol of the city of Esperança. Methodologically, a multimodal reading of various sources, such as books and websites, as well as images and videos was used. Based on the authors, Le Goff, Pelegrini, De Araújo Júnior and De Almeida, Hobsbawm, Hall and De Carvalho, who address issues of Identity, Heritage, Symbolism, Traditions, Imaginary and Memory. Although it has become an instrument strongly linked to politics, not explicitly through its image, the chapel of Our Lady of Perpetual Help does not receive a look as a legitimate heritage of the city of Esperança by the local elites, much could be done to value and preserve it better. Having said this, it is part of the identity and memory of the people of Esperança.