Hagiographic discourse and monastic memory: the creation of a “spiritual family” for San Millán de la Cogolla (11th-12th centuries)

Abstract

The aim of this article is to analyse one of the aspects that constitute the complex phenomenon of the construction of the hagiographical memory, particularly in the case of St. Millán de la Cogolla. Between the 11^th and 12^th centuries, the community of monks created their main saint’s “spiritual family”, thanks to the acquisition of relics belonging to a series of holy people that were related, in life, to St. Millán. By achieving this, the hermit was fitted with spiritual allies that succeeded in increasing the faithful’s devotion as well as the monastery’s prestige.