Paper short abstract:

Focusing on the growing cult surrounding a doctor famous for helping the poor who died over a century ago in Lisbon, I explore how religious devotion is shaped by the public spaces available for performing rituals aimed at sacred figures.

Paper long abstract:

This paper explores, based on observations and interviews, how religious devotion is shaped by the public spaces available for performing rituals aimed at sacred figures. I focus on popular religiosity in Portugal and the vibrant and growing cult surrounding a medical doctor famous for helping the poor, Dr. Sousa Martins, who died over a century ago in Lisbon. Because Dr. Sousa Martins is rumored to have been a Freemason and possibly committed suicide, he is unlikely to ever be canonized within the Catholic Church, and the cult of devotion surrounding him exists completely outside of its authority. What organizes the cult instead are three public spaces where it is allowed to 'communicate' with the doctor and ask for his help (especially cures), to bring him offerings, and leave gifts of thanks for miracles performed. The fact that the cult has no organizing institution also means there is room for active individuals to guide the cult in particular directions. Such individuals include a charismatic female medium, a seer-turned-writer who has written numerous popular books on Dr. Sousa Martins, and the owner of kiosk selling cult objects, who has invented rites for communicating with the doctor which have spread to her customers. For comparison, I examine the cult surrounding another male friend of the poor in the Portuguese Azores, Santo Cristo. Here, access to the sacred figure is tightly controlled by the Church, which may explain why people communicate with Santo Cristo through the Internet, including via Facebook.