Management and Branding of Spiritual Services: The Monastery and Shrine of Guadalupe (1389–1562)

This paper examines the management of spiritual services in late medieval and early modern Europe through the case of the Monastery and Shrine of Guadalupe, one of the most prominent Marian pilgrimage destinations of the fifteenth century. After the Hieronymite Order assumed control in 1389, the monastery expanded into a diversified enterprise that encompassed agriculture, livestock, crafts, as well as charitable and spiritual services. We argue that this expansion resulted from three interrelated factors: the human capital accumulated within monastic management, the development of a recognizable spiritual brand centered on the icon of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and its endorsement by the Order’s founding values and by the principal legal authorities of the time—the Church and, more decisively, the Spanish Monarchy. The paper thus contributes to scholarship by identifying early forms of branding and endorsement, and highlighting the role of spiritual services in the consolidation of monastic economies.