THE LADY OF THE SHADOWS
Marcus Sedgwick on Santa Muerte - the Patron Saint of the Underworld
Saturday 20th October 2018 from 5:00 pm

A fascinating portrait of Santa Muerte (“Saint Death”), a skeleton saint whose cult has attracted millions of devotees in Latin America since the turn of the Millennium. Although condemned by the Catholic Church this folk saint's alleged divine powers appeal to millions of ordinary people in Mexico and the United States. Devotees believe “The Bony Lady”  or “The Lady of the Shadows” (as she is affectionately nicknamed) to be the fastest and most effective miracle worker, and as such, her statuettes and paraphernalia now outsell those of the Virgin of Guadalupe and Saint Jude, two other sacred figures of Mexican Christianity. 

Santa Muerte has become the patron saint of drug traffickers, playing an important role as protector of peddlers of crystal meth and marijuana; D.E.A. agents and Mexican police officers often find her altars in the safe houses of narcotics smugglers. Yet Saint Death plays other important roles: she is a supernatural healer, love doctor, money-maker, lawyer, and angel of death. She has become without doubt one of the most popular and powerful saints on both the Mexican and American religious landscapes.

Tickets £12 including a Hendrick's Gin cocktail. Please click here to buy.

Marcus Sedgwick
Marcus Sedgwick is a writer, illustrator and musician. His children’s books include Floodlands and The Dark Horse. He was Writer in Residence at Bath Spa University for three years, reviews for The Guardian newspaper and teaches creative writing at Arvon and Ty Newydd.   

The Venue - Bromptoon Cemetery