Gauchito Gil

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Gauchito Gil on a wall painting in Rosario
typical roadside shrine for Gauchito Gil in Santiago del Estero
Gauchito Gil Altar near San Salvador de Jujuy

Gauchito Gil (* around 1840 as Antonio Mamerto Gil Núñez in Mercedes in the province of Corrientes ; † January 8, 1878 ) is a popular saint in Argentina who, although never recognized by the Catholic Church , is part of the popular piety of many Argentines. Translated, Gauchito Gil means something like "little Gaucho Gil". Gauchito Gil is known as Curuzú Gil among Guaraní spokesmen in Argentina .

Legend

The legends about Gauchito Gil's life are contradicting each other, but all of them say that he was a farm laborer who got into great trouble because of a real or alleged relationship with a rich widow (the widow's brothers were against him, as well as a policeman, who also loved the widow). To avoid the difficulties, Gauchito Gil joined the army and fought in the Triple Alliance War against the armed forces of Paraguay . In the later civil war of Argentina, he deserted in order not to have to kill his own compatriots and hid in the forest. According to some legends, he was something like the Argentine Robin Hood at this time - stole from the rich and gave it to the poor. When he was finally caught, he was hung upside down on a mesquite tree and tortured. When the executioner tried to kill him, Gauchito Gil told that his sick son would get well if he prayed to him, otherwise he would die. The executioner nevertheless carried out the sentence and cut Gauchito Gil's throat. When the hangman came home his son was very sick, he prayed to Gauchito Gil, and his son got well. The executioner built a small sanctuary for the saint (today the main pilgrimage site) and told everyone about the miraculous Gauchito Gil.

Today's admiration

Today Gauchito Gil is venerated not only in his home province of Corrientes , but actually everywhere in Argentina, especially in the neighboring provinces in the east and northeast of the country, in Formosa , Chaco , Santa Fe and the province of Buenos Aires . Small shrines with red flags can be found in many places in Argentina on the side of country roads. Since Gauchito Gil is considered to be a kind of patron of car, bus and truck drivers, it is customary to honk your horn when you drive past a shrine to greet Gauchito Gil. In return, one hopes for an easy and accident-free journey. There are also pilgrimages to the pilgrimage site in Corrientes to ask the saint a favor. On the day of his death, January 8th, there is a big festival in his honor, where people drink, sing and dance.

See also

  • Difunta Correa (an Argentine folk saint of comparable or greater fame)

literature

  • Walter F. Faul: Gauchito Gil. Una verdad en la gente . Editorial Dunken, Buenos Aires 2010, ISBN 978-987-024503-2 (+ 1 DVD).
  • Tránsito Galarza: Los poderes del Gauchito Gil. Nuestro primer santo telúrico . Libro Latino, Buenos Aires 1999, ISBN 987-916798-8 .
  • Andrés A. Salas: Gauchito Gil. De devoción local a mito nacional; conclusiones sobre un fenómeno en expansion . Editorial Dunken, Buenos Aires 2008, ISBN 978-987-023266-7 .
  • Irma C. Sousa: Gauchito Gil. Imagen y representaciones. culto popular argentino; signed XX – XXI . Editorial Dunken, Buenos Aires 2010, ISBN 978-987-024691-6 .

Web links

Commons : Gauchito Gil  - collection of images, videos and audio files
personal data
SURNAME Gauchito Gil
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Gil Núñez, Antonio Mamerto
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Argentine folk saint
DATE OF BIRTH around 1840
PLACE OF BIRTH Corrientes
DATE OF DEATH January 8, 1878