Medieval and Early Modern Confraternities in Sardinia

This essay presents a general overview of the Sardinian religious confraternities (de habit) that arose between the late Middle Ages and 1700, examining the state of current studies and the local archives in the hope of contributing to the overall analysis of Sardinian confraternities while developing a few specific themes. In this fragmented field of study, we have chosen a chronological-geographical approach focused on the major cities, with references to their respective dioceses. We will start with the oldest evidence of confraternities in Cagliari, proceed towards the north of the island, and conclude with the city that is symbolic of the Sardinian hinterland: Nuoro. We have tried to emphasize the confraternities’ role in the local context of charity and welfare, while for the purely devotional or guild aspects we refer to the most recent bibliography. The last paragraph is dedicated to the sources and the state of the local confraternity archives, as surveyed by the Archival Superintendency of Sardinia.

Il saggio presenta una panoramica generale sulle Confraternite sarde sorte tra il tardo medioevo e il 1700. Si illustrano lo stato degli studi e la realtà degli archivi con l’auspicio di contribuire all’analisi complessiva del fenomeno e, soprattutto, dare alcuni spunti per l’approfondimento di certe tematiche che allo stato attuale risultano meno indagate, come le attività caritatevoli proposte all’esterno delle Confraternite e uno sguardo comparato sulla produzione, trasmissione e conservazione della memoria.