«Ante la imagen de la Virgen de la Monarquía y sobre la tumba del restaurador de la misma». I viaggi della famiglia reale al santuario di Covadonga in età contemporanea (1858-1918)

Abstract

«Ante la imagen de la Virgen de la Monarquía y sobre la tumba del restaurador de la misma». The Trips of the Royal Family to the Sanctuary of Covadonga in the Contemporary Age (1858-1918)

The present work pretends to analyze the visits made by the monarch of Spain in the sanctuary of Our Lady of Covadonga between 1858 and 1918. As outstanding element of a modern public policy developed by the monarchy, characterized by an increasing visibility of the sovereign, the trips to Covadonga have been a powerful factor in the nationalization of the Spanish masses around the person of the king: this seems to confirm the role of the crown in the process of nation building. In virtue of the polysemy of Covadonga’s meanings, the royal visits to the sanctuary were an important occasion for the kings to consolidate their national, military and constitutional charisma, as well as to legitimize the monarchical institution. In conclusion, the research seems to confirm the centrality of religion in the construction of royal charisma and, more generally, in the contemporary age. Furthermore, the study has pointed out the persistence of traditional power networks and the symbolic forms of the Old Regime in the liberal age.

Received: 24-09-2018

Admitted: 05-11-2018