La signora d'Africa: anatomia di un santuario moriano in terra d'Islam

Abstract

International audience ; The article investigates some aspects of the complex symbolic construction of the figure of the Madonna, at the border between two religious universes. Attention will focus on an area of contact between Christianity and Islam, which is materialized in the history of an important Marian sanctuary in North Af rica, the Basilica of Our Lady of Af rica in Algiers. This Catholic pilgrimage site also attracts Muslim faithful. At first, these interfaith events developed in the f rame work of the French colonial state, where a Christian minority dominated a large Muslim majority. Then, they continued after the independence of the country in 1962, although the construction of the post-colonial state was characterized by a strong push towards homogenization of the population f rom a religious point of view. The article shows a surprising stability of the mixed attendance at Our Lady of Af rica for about 150 years, despite the changing political, social and cultural context. In the sanctuary distinct religious groups have continued to share the same space, even in times of hatred and violence. This peaceful organization of everyday life in the sanctuary is built into a complex history of relations of power and a network of often-contradictory symbols and meanings. ; L'articolo indaga alcuni aspetti della complessa costruzione simbolica della figura della Madonna, alla f rontiera tra due universi religiosi. L'attenzione si concentra su una zona di contatto tra cristianesimo e islam, materializzata nella storia di un importante santuario mariano dell'Af rica settentrionale, la basilica di Nostra Signora d'Af rica ad Algeri. Questo sito cattolico di pellegrinaggio attira anche fedeli musulmani. In un primo tempo, queste manifestazioni interreligiose si sono sviluppate nell'ambito dello stato coloniale f rancese, dove una minoranza cristiana dominava una vasta maggioranza musulmana. Poi, sono continuate dopo l'indipendenza del 1962, anche se la costruzione dello stato post-coloniale è stata ...