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Apparitions of the Madonna at Oliveto Citra: Local Visions and Cosmic Drama. PAOLO APOLITO. Translated by William Christian, Jr. University Park: The Pennsylvania State University Press, 1998; 249 pp.
On 24 May 1985 the Madonna is said to have appeared to a group of boys in a square near the old castle in Oliveto Citra, a small town south of Naples, Italy. In Apparitions of the Madonna at Oliveto Citra, Italian anthropologist Paolo Apolito presents a skillful and absorbing analysis of these and subsequent visions. His book forms a significant contribution to the study of the contemporary reenchantment of Catholic Europe. William Christian Jr. has deftly translated the book from the Italian and added explanatory footnotes, an introductory note, and supplemental bibliography.
In the prologue Apolito summarizes his first book on the phenomenon, "Dice the hanno visto la Madonna": Un caso di apparizione in Campania ["It Is Said They Have Seen the Madonna": A Case of Apparitions in Campania] (Bologna: Il Mulino, 1990). In that work he described how the claims of the seers gained credibility through the activities of pilgrims, seers, and Church representatives. In this volume he analyzes the meaning and symbolism of the apparitions. In the introduction Apolito identifies four approaches to the topic. Catholic authors seek to distinguish truth from falsehood; others explain the occurrences in terms of the play of social forces; still others locate the impetus for visions in the psychological make-up of seers. Following the example of Christian's work in Spain, Apolito instead explores "the context of social interaction in which apparitions unfold and the process by which they are shaped" (p. 25).
Chapters One and Two offer background information. Oliveto Citra quickly gained noteriety through media reports, the attentions of local prayer groups, the arrival of numerous pilgrims from near and far, and the...