O Diabo anda à solta: o culto a São Bartolomeu na Foz do Douro

Abstract

On the 24th of August, the day when Saint Bartholomew takes possession of the waters and the Devil is on the loose, the believers of the 19th century headed to the beaches of Foz do Douro for the holy bath, in search of protection against skin diseases, stuttering or demonic effects. Through the saint, the sins of the former skin were expelled to make way for a renewed soul and body. This act of apotropaic and prophylactic nature was transferred to the cultural practice that we know today: the Cortejo dos Trajes de Papel de São Bartolomeu. This playful and spontaneous manifestation originated in the ancient religious festival, keeping the memory of the stripping of costumes in the waters.Based on the image of Saint Bartholomew from the parish church of São João da Foz do Douro, we intend in this study to reveal the evolution of the cult, the practices and rituals to which it was associated and how it can be understood as a support for cultural permeabilities, reinforcing the need of the study of the image in its context.