Les versions catalanes de la «Vida de santa Caterina de Siena». Notes sobre el text i el paratext

The Catalan translations of the Life of Catherine of Siena are analysed paying special attention to the dedications and prologues of the different versions in order to assess the relevance of its reception in Catalan. The life of the saint from Siena was known in the mid 15th century, at least by the Queen Maria of Aragon who had a copy of the book. However, the initial focal point of the interest was Valencia, where two important translations were printed in 1499 and 1511. The publications were promoted by scholars, in particular by Dominicans, in order to reinforce the religious links with Rome after the Western Schism and to introduce new models of sanctity into the customs of the middle classes. Saint Catherine became popular thanks to the Flos Sanctorum, which included her life, at least in the 1494 edition printed in Barcelona by Joan Rosembach.