The Kongolese Saint Anthony
Subtitle: Dona Beatriz Kimpa Vita and the Antonian movement, 1684-1706
By: John K. Thornton.
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 1998
Place of publication: Cambridge, U.K; New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 228
Subjects: Vita, Beatriz Kimpa, d. 1706; Anthony, of Padua, Saint, 1195-1231 -- Cult -- Kongo Kingdom; Christian biography -- Kongo Kingdom; Christianity and politics -- Kongo Kingdom -- History -- 18th century; Christianity and politics -- Catholic Church -- History -- 18th century; Kongo Kingdom -- Politics and government -- 18th century; Kongo Kingdom -- Church history -- 18th century
Description: This book describes the Christian religious movement led by Dona Beatriz Kimpa Vita in the Kingdom of Kongo, from her birth in 1684 until her death, by burning at the stake, in 1706, only two years after the movement had started. Beatriz, a young woman, claimed to be possessed by Saint Anthony, argued that Jesus was a Kongolese, and criticized Italian Capuchin missionaries in her country for not supporting black saints.

Thornton supplies background information on the Kingdom of Kongo, the development of Catholicism in Kongo since 1491, the nature and role of local warfare in the Atlantic slave trade, and contemporary everyday life, as well as sketching the lives of some local personalities.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.