L’oro di Napoli. Potere, affari e devozioni della Compagnia di Gesù nel Mezzogiorno moderno (secoli XVI-XVIII)

Overview & Synopsis

This book explores the history of the Jesuit Province of Naples, from its arrival in the Kingdom of Naples to the expulsion of 1767. By examining the Order’s organizational strategies over the long term, the study reveals how the Jesuits adapted to the political and social challenges of the Kingdom. The analysis focuses on power dynamics, cultural battles, and the Jesuits peculiar role as “clerical-barons” in the Lucanian fiefs of Latronico and Policoro. Moving between ambitions and internal crises, the book shows how the fate of this influential Province was connected from the major global transformations of the time. The book ends by following the lives of former Jesuits after the Order’s suppression, as they searched for a new identity amidst the storms of revolution.