The cross of Flesh. Cult, Epidemics, and Social Control

Abstract

The legend of the Cross of Flesh tells that it was given by an angel to a benedictine monk in San Miguel del Burgo in Zamora, during the Black Death in 14th century. The relic, which today is in the chapel of Santa Inés in the cathedral, has been used along the centuries to enrich sanctuaries and to canalize the desperation and rage produced by epidemics and famines. First, we make a subsection of its generic symbology, a review of the most well-known miracle legends, and the documentation of the dim beginnings of this cult. Then, we will see that, like other relics to which healing and harmful powers are attributed, the history of the Cross of Flesh, is written as a dark chronicle of the place where it is venerated, and has been used in different social situations, until 20th century, as an institutional tool of control, claiming the religiosity of the faithful people in desperation and necessity times, not only caused by diseases.