Transcendent experience of St. Laura Montoya y Upegui
Zuzana Civáňová, Monika Brezováková
The Figurativeness of the Language of Mystical Experience January 1, 2021 DOI: 10.5817/cz.muni.p210-9997-2021-12 (opens in new tab)
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractSt. Laura Montoya y Upegui (Mother Laura), a Colombian Catholic mystic, described her lifelong mystical experience with God through distinctive inner images, particularly in her autobiography *History of the Mercies of God in a Soul*. This analysis examines those images and their aesthetic narrative qualities, showing how they form a richer understanding of both her mystical experience and her written work.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key finding | Argues that the specific images Mother Laura uses in her autobiography are central to understanding her mystical experience and the aesthetic qualities of her narration. |
Abstract
The paper focuses on the life and written work of the Colombian Catholic mystic St. Laura Montoya y Upegui (1874–1949), known also as Mother Laura. The life of this mystic was marked by a mystical experience from her early childhood. In the work she left us, especially in her autobiography entitled History of the Mercies of God in a Soul [Historia de las misericordias de Dios en un alma], she tries to talk about her unique experience, although this task is not easy. She tends to speak about her mystical experience with God mainly through specific images of her own inner world. The aim of this study is to bring these images closer to the reader, analyse them and reconcile them with the aesthetic qualities of the narration, which helps to form more complete and complex image not only of the mystical experience, but also of the work by St. Laura.