Management and Branding of Spiritual Services: The Monastery and Shrine of Guadalupe (1389–1562)
以15世纪著名朝圣地瓜达卢佩修道院为例，研究其如何通过人力资本、品牌塑造和权威背书，从单一宗教场所发展为涵盖农业、手工业、慈善和精神服务的多元化企业，揭示早期品牌化与精神服务在修道院经济整合中的作用。
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.