Review by Choice Review
This study of civil religion in Siena begins with the battle of Montaperti of 1260, in which Siena, under the banner of the Virgin Mary, won a decisive victory over Florence. The Sienese dedicated the city to the Virgin and added Saints Catherine and Bernardine of Siena as patrons in the 15th century. Although the Virgin did not save Siena from being conquered by Florence in 1555, the city rededicated itself to the Virgin many more times, including in 1944. Religious ceremonies invoking saints were gradually transformed into civil religion, which combined religious ceremony with celebration of the history and traditions of the city and its neighborhoods (contrade). Sienese civil religion has remembered the student martyrs of 1848, supported fascism in the 1930s, and honored the resistance movement in 1964. The palio (run on July 2 and August 16) may have begun in 1689, and is now the most important event in the city. It combines religious traditions with history, neighborhood pride, and love of the Virgin and the city. Parsons (religious studies, Open Univ.) tells an interesting story well. His book is based on considerable research and has 10 color and 25 black-and-white illustrations. ^BSumming Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. P. Grendler emeritus, University of Toronto
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
