El Flos Sanctorum de Pedro de Ribadeneyra i la figura de Julià l'Apòstata

Abstract

This study aims to conduct a historical-philological analysis of Pedro de Ribadeneyra's Flos Sanctorum, a highly significant hagiographical work in the literary landscape of the 16th century. Written in the post-Tridentine context with the goal of strengthening the Catholic faith and countering the spread of Protestant doctrines, the text presents the biographies of saints, highlighting their sufferings and the martyrdoms they endured during the persecutions. Particular attention will be given to the figure of Julian the Apostate, one of the most fascinating and controversial personalities of Late Antiquity. Depicted in the work as a persecutor of the Christian faith and condemned to ecclesiastical oblivion, Julian emerges as a complex figure, both intellectually and politically, as well as militarily. His attempt to restore polytheism occurred in a historical context marked by profound ideological and institutional challenges in the 4th century, offering crucial insights into the conflict between Christianity and paganism in antiquity.