The Activity of christianization in the autohagiography of Valerius Of Bierzo

Abstract

This article aims to study the strategies of Christianization attributed to the hermit monks that lived in the Visigothic kingdom during the 7th century. Specifically, we analyze in the autohagiography of Valerio of Bierzo the allusions to actions of expansion and normalization of Christianity, as well as the education of religious and lay people. In this sense, we understand that the author built his narratives with the purpose of promoting a monastic behavior considered ideal. We believe, then, that the defense of the Christianizing activity was combined with the precept of ascetic isolation, defended by Valerius, without this association annul his state of renunciation, which was based on the removal of social, economic, and political bonds.