The circulation and reading of Friar Louis of Granada in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries in the Iberian Peninsula

Abstract

The works written by the Dominican Luís de Granada had achieved wide circulation in the Iberian Peninsula by the second half of the sixteenth and the beginning of the seventeenth century. His writings were read by religious and lay men. They emphasized the valorization of affective spirituality and mental prayer, which contributed to the diffusion of his writings because of the great interest in mystical spirituality in the period. His works greatly influenced many of the spiritual men of his time. This article aims to show the influence of the writings of the Dominican Granada in his time. The books of Fray Luis de Granada, particularly those intended to lead Christians on the way of contemplation, were found in several houses. They were recorded by the chroniclers of religious orders and quoted by spiritual writers. These volumes even helped in the writing of iconographic subjects.