Death among the Blacks of the Brotherhood of Nossa Senhora do Rosario

In this article the author discusses the significance of death in the fraternity: of Nossa Senhora do Rosario dos Homens Pretos of Sao Paulo, Brazil, a religious institution founded in 1711 and currently still in existence. This fraternity played an important role in the maintenance of popular traditions based on a "black" religious practice and nor merely a "white" religious practice, conceived from the standpoint of slavery. The relations established between the Catholic Church and the slaves during the colonial period constitute the historical context of the creation of these fraternities. Stress is also laid on the process of Romanization of Brazilian Catholicism after the Republic was installed.