Relíquias e propaganda religiosa no Portugal pós-tridentino

Abstract

The Council of Trent proposed a moderate model regarding the cult of images and relics: on the one hand, it tried to justify their veneration, on the other hand, it sought to prevent abuses and control the emergence of new cults. Contrary to many other European countries, where the consequences of the council decrees only took effect after a long period of time, in Portugal the same decrees were efficiently
and rapidly implemented. The major cause for this was the dedication of Cardinal Dom Henrique, who promoted the relics and the Portuguese «hagiographic heritage» to encourage a more zealous religious practice and to publicize and implement the Trentine model.