Guillaume Manier et l'Espagne de son temps (1726)Religiosité et patriotisme

Abstract

The present paper shows the perspective of eighteenth century Spain taken by a French pilgrim, Guillaume Manier, in his story Voyage d’Espangne (1736), perspective which goes far beyond the worship of St. James. This Guillaume Manier went to Santiago de Compostela in 1726. After this long journey, he went to Oviedo and Madrid, returning to France via Navarre. During his stay in Spain, Guillaume Manier talks not only about his pilgrimage, but he also shows interest in several other aspects not related to Saint James universe such as women, clothing, gastronomy, landscape and scenery, etc. Especially two aspects are worth more attention, since they clearly reflect Spanish mind and sensibility in the first decades of the eighteenth century: religiosity and patriotism. Curiously enough, Guillaume Manier, while talking about Spain and Spaniards, in a neutral and prejudice-free way, shows a kind of inverted reflection of himself and his own country.