"Libera nos" dai saraceni, dalla peste, dall'eresia: santuari mariani e miracoli (XIV-XVI sec.), in Miracolo! Emozione, spettacolo e potere nella storia dei secoli XIII-XVII

In this essay I propose to analize the miraculos testimonies concerning the Marian sanctuaries on the Tyrrhenian coast - from Montenero to the Cinque Terre - and in Sicily highlighting the miracles of defense/liberation from attaks by sea or any case of defence of Christians "attacked" by Muslims. This type of miracle has a collective emotional gradient, not only individual because - toghether with the miracles of "healing" in the case of plague (at city level) as well as the miracles (still sanctuarials) of defense of the community from heresies/doctrinal deviances - costitues an indubitable sign of divine predilecion for the whole community. I therefore propose to compare miracles against Muslims and Turks with miracles of healing from the plague and/or defense against the propagation of ideas of Reformation.