Il culto dei caduti nella Chiesa cattolica fiorentina (1914-1926)

This article analyses Catholicism's contribution to the cult of the fallen soldiers of the Great War. In particular, it examines the Florentine Church during World War I and the post-war period. It looks at how funeral rites and commemorative prints fused the intercession for the dead and their devotion as martyrs of the faith and the fatherland. The rhetoric and liturgies of mourning were an effective means of conveying the National-Catholic canon which during the 20s found its physical representation in the erection of numerous monuments and votive chapels, by parishes and religious orders. This trend perpetuated the ideal of sacrifice for one's country and provided fertile ground for the meeting with the fascist political religion. Whilst it can be said that the Catholic ceremonies endorsed the fascist appropriation of the cult of fallen soldiers and acknowledged totalitarian expectations, at times in a symbiotic manner, it is also true that they reinforced the Church's claim for the monopoly on the symbolic-spiritual legacy of dying in battle.