On the merchant routes. The diffusion of the cult of the Madonna of Bonaria in the Mediterranean (15th-16th Centuries)

The article examines the diffusion of the cult of the Madonna of Bonaria in the Mediterranean area between the late medieval and early modern periods. The Virgin of Bonaria was venerated in the shrine built outside the walls of Cagliari by Prince Alfonso of Aragon at the time of the conquest of the city. It analyses the methods, tools and people responsible for the diffusion of the cult of the Madonna of Bonaria, considered the protectress of sailors, and the fame of her miracles. Attention will be paid to the oral tradition, written texts, iconography and propagandistic activity conducted by the religious guardians of the shrine, the Mercedarians.