Abstract

PUGLISI, Rodolfo. Furta Sacra? The dispute for the relics of the saint Brochero of Córdoba (Argentina). Runa [online]. 2023, vol.44, n.1, pp.73-89.  Epub Jan 11, 2023. ISSN 1851-9628.  http://dx.doi.org/10.34096/runa.v44i1.11407.

Considered “powerful objects”, the relics (corporal remains) of Christian saints have throughout history been a source of interest for communities in possessing them given the symbolic legitimacy they provide, the communal ties they articulate and the economic relevance they have for the communities that treasure them. In May 2019, a dispute broke out between two towns in Cordoba over the body remains of the priest Brochero (1840-1914), declared a saint in October 2016. The municipality of Villa Santa Rosa, his birthplace, approved a resolution requesting the transfer there of his relics, located in Villa Cura Brochero. This aroused the immediate rejection of the latter administration, as well as the pronouncement of the Archbishopric of Córdoba, who claimed to have legal authority over the remains. Naturally these events also aroused varied opinions among the devotees. In this work, after realizing the central importance that Brochero’s relics have within the Brochero movement, we will characterize this dispute recovering the voices of different actors (governmental, ecclesiastical, residents of both places, etc.). Finally, after reflecting on the tension between civil and canon law involved in this case, we conclude by pointing out that this conflict is a clear example of the symbolic and material importance that relics acquire for communities that unite around devotion to a saint.

The data on which we base ourselves come from the ethnographic fieldwork that we are carrying out of the Brocherian movement in contemporary Argentina, within the framework of an anthropological research agenda, which fundamentally involves the use of participant observation techniques and conducting semi-structured interviews with different actors in the group.

Keywords : Brochero; Religion; Power; Materiality; Relics.

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