Il volto santo di Manoppello: tra fondazione del santuario cappuccino, scontri giurisdizionali e promozione devozionale

The Holy Face of Manoppello is a veil preserved since the 17th century in the Capuchin sanctuary of this small town. On this veil is imprinted the image of the face of Jesus. The first part of the research is dedicated to the study of the jurisdictional conflicts born in the 17th century regarding the possession of the veil and the control of the devotional practices that developed around it. The second part analyzes the evolution of promoting the devotion to the Holy Face. This research perspective was conducted through the study of some texts published during the Early Modern Age and the journal entitled «Il Volto Santo di Manoppello», published by the Capuchins starting in 1906. This point of view allows us to understand how the “sacred” does not constitute an immutable system of ritual functions and devotional practices, but, a dimension with a strong civil value, from which derives a legitimizing power on the social level