Hagiografia de Santo Antônio de Categeró: imagem, corporeidade e devoção na Igreja do Rosário dos Pretos, Pelourinho - Salvador - Bahia

Abstract

This thesis highlights Saint Anthony of Categeró, a Black Catholic saint born in Africa and celebrated in the Church of Our Lady of the Rosary of the Blacks, one of the three century-old churches that stands as a symbol of Black resistance. This church is located in Pelourinho, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, a place home to sumptuous sacred and religious architecture, where monumental and secular churches represent a landmark of civilization. The research's overall objective is to disseminate the relevance of Saint Anthony of Categeró's hagiography, along with his image, corporeality, and devotion, as represented by the faithful and witnessed in the saint's masses at the Church of the Rosary of the Blacks, Pelourinho, Salvador, Bahia. Religion and the Catholic Church, intrinsically linked to the Christian tradition, have Catholicism as one of the main traditional representations of Christianity. This study is based on action research with a qualitative approach from the perspective of epistemological and intersectional foundations. Its objectives are bibliographical, documentary, exploratory, and descriptive. Interviews and participant observation were used as data collection instruments. A logbook is used as a support tool. The participating faithful are the members of the Pious Union of Saint Anthony of Categeró of the aforementioned church, the chaplain, and the faithful and devotees who attend Mass for the aforementioned saint. Finally, this study promotes the dissemination of knowledge through three final products: an art exhibition, a catalog, and an academic article, popularizing the life and work of the saint and expanding the expression and evidence of devotion to Saint Anthony of Categeró at the Church of the Rosary of the Blacks.