O Santo António Congolês

Thornton, John K. (2024). O Santo António Congolês: Dona Beatriz Kimpa Vita e o movimento antoniano, 1684-1707. Centro de Estudos de Investigação de Santo António. 219 pp.

Abstract

This book describes the Christian religious movement led by Dona Beatriz Kimpa Vita in the Kingdom of Kongo, from her birth in 1684 until her death, by burning at the stake, in 1706, only two years after the movement had started. Beatriz, a young woman, claimed to be possessed by Saint Anthony, argued that Jesus was a Kongolese, and criticized Italian Capuchin missionaries in her country for not supporting black saints. The movement was largely a peace movement, with a following among the common people, attempting to stop the devastating cycle of civil wars between contenders for the Kongolese throne that fed the growing Atlantic slave trade. Thornton supplies background information on the Kingdom of Kongo, the development of Catholicism in Kongo since 1491, the nature and role of local warfare in the Atlantic slave trade, and contemporary everyday life, as well as sketching the lives of some local personalities. John Thornton is Professor of History at Millersville University of Pennsylvania.

Source

CHSC library reference: 24-6-31