A construção da devoção à Nossa Senhora da Santa Cruz no interior de Erechim no Rio Grande do Sul

Abstract

This research analyzes the construction of the devotion to Our Lady of the Holy Cross (Nossa Senhora da Santa Cruz) in the rural area of Erechim, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, focusing on the trajectory of Dorothéa Menegon Farina and the process through which the Shrine of Our Lady of the Holy Cross (Santuário Nossa Senhora da Santa Cruz) was established as a site of memory. The study is situated within the field of the History of Religions and Religiosity and aims to understand how the religious experience attributed to Dorothéa was reinterpreted by the faithful until it became a form of popular devotion capable of transcending generations and creating a space for the preservation of collective memory. The research is grounded in Pierre Bourdieu's concept of the religious field and Jacques Le Goff's concept of memory, enabling an analysis of the symbolic disputes surrounding the legitimacy of popular religious practices and the mechanisms involved in the construction and preservation of collective memory. Methodologically, this is a qualitative study based on a literature review, documentary analysis, and field research, using books, scientific articles, historical newspapers, photographs, documents from the shrine's collection, and institutional records. Initially, the historical formation of the Erechim Colony is contextualized, highlighting its ethnic and religious diversity. Subsequently, the study examines the trajectory of Dorothéa Menegon Farina, as well as the narratives concerning apparitions, miracles, persecution, and the consolidation of popular devotion. Finally, it investigates the role of the Shrine of Our Lady of the Holy Cross as a space for preserving religious memory, emphasizing the importance of devotional objects, pilgrimages, the press, and collective narratives in perpetuating this devotion. The study concludes that the shrine transcends its strictly religious function, becoming a space for the construction, preservation, and transmission of collective memory, in which the trajectory of Dorothéa Menegon Farina is continuously reinterpreted through the religious experience of its devotees.