Baldassarre Labanca (1829-1913) in the Search of True Christianity

This paper examines the intellectual and religious trajectory of Baldassarre Labanca (1829–1913), the first Italian professor of History of Religions, to explore how individual experience and lived religion intersect in modern Europe. Trained as a priest under Bourbon rule, Labanca abandoned clerical life to pursue academic study, redefining Christianity through historical and moral inquiry rather than dogma. His engagement with "Le Mercure de France" in 1907 illustrates his conviction that religion, particularly Christianity, was not dissolving but evolving toward universal moral ideals aligned with Jesus’ teachings. Through Bourdieu’s concept of “trajectory,” the study situates Labanca’s work within the shifting academic and religious fields of post-unification Italy. His major works—"Il cristianesimo primitivo" (1886) and "Il Papato" (1905)—further reveal his vision of a Christianity purified of institutional excess and restored to ethical authenticity. Labanca’s dual role as scholar and believer reflects the formative tensions of early religious studies, where scientific objectivity and spiritual reform coexisted. Ultimately, Labanca emerges as a prophetic figure negotiating between academic secularization and the enduring quest for a “true” Christianity.