S. Francisco Xavier e a poesia hagiográfica novilatina em Portugal

Abstract

On a festive occasion such as Xavier’s jubilee, the A. aims at: 1. showing how Xavier embodied a type of holiness fully consistent with the ideals of Catholic Reformation; 2. interpreting the distinctive portrayal of Xavier in Jesuit poetry, namely Neolatin hagiography; 3. concluding that, in the eyes of a devoted, aesthetically sophisticated, XVIIth century public, an interpretation of an epic hero such as Francis Xavier is able to enhance both the aesthetic dimension of the hagiographic message, and its very apologetic, edifying effectiveness.