Mary Andino

I am a fifth-year graduate student in the department of history. I specialize in the religious, gender, and cultural histories of early modern Italy. I have passed qualifying examinations in the fields of medieval Europe, early modern Europe, and Jewish history (medieval to modern). 

My dissertation, entitled “The Pursuit of Holiness in Early Modern Spanish Italy,” explores putative saints in Naples and Palermo during the Catholic Reformation era. I rely on Inquisition trials and canonization processes from National and Diocesan Archives in Madrid, Naples, and Palermo to explore the contested cases of those who acquired a reputation as “living saints,” but in so doing provoked suspicion and often condemnation from ecclesiastical authorities. By focusing on the records of these living claimants to holiness, we allow for these individuals, as well as those who were drawn to them, to speak for themselves, and can thus study a performative version of sanctity that reveals the holy individuals addressing their communities’ needs in action. My dissertation centers on several themes critical to the enactment of sanctity: gender, confession, monasticism, space, visions, and discipleship. 

My research interests have led to fruitful teaching and conference experiences. I serve as the instructor for two courses in the spring of 2021: a UCollege course entitled “Spain’s Golden Age” and an undergraduate seminar entitled “The Inquisition: Religion and Authority in Early Modern Spain.” I have presented my work at the American Historical Association Annual Meeting and the Sixteenth-Century Society Conference. For the 2020-21 academic year, I serve as a Graduate Fellow in the university’s Writing Center and co-chair of the Graduate History Association (GHA).

Article by John Moore detailing my research and archival experience:  https://history.wustl.edu/news/how-become-saint-your-lifetime

Office Hours (via Zoom ) - https://wustl.zoom.us/j/7968812183