Saint Kuriakose Elias Chavara - A Milestone in the History of Eclogue
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Saint Kuriakose Elias Chavara - A Milestone in the History of Eclogue
68
27.5 × 21 cm (height × width)
Between 1855 and 1856, Saint Chavara wrote a series of eclogues under the influence of the Italian poet Virgil. He did so with the assistance of his close friend, the Italian missionary Fr. Leopold. Within the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate (CMI) community, these works were historically referred to as "Puthappunadakam". The editor details his personal research journey through Italy, including visits to the St. Gregorian University in Rome, the National Library in Rome, and an OCD monastery in Jenovah to discover the direct Italian roots of Saint Chavara's writings. The document positions Saint Chavara’s works as a "milestone in the history of Eclogues," serving as a rare literary golden thread that successfully unites Western classical poetic traditions with East Indian (specifically Malayalam) culture and literature.