UNDER THE VIRGIN’S FEET: THE DEMON AS A SIGN OF OTHERNESS

Abstract

This article examines the demonic figure beneath the feet of the image of Nossa Senhora do Socorro do Rio do Peixe (Socorro, São Paulo, Brazil) as a symbolic expression of otherness. Through an iconographic analysis articulated with the theoretical framework of monstrosity, the study explores how the visual representation participates in a Eurocentric symbolic order that associates evil with the foreign and the cultural Other. Drawing upon traditional European Christian iconography, it elucidates the construction of a visual hierarchy in which the Virgin and Child subjugate a demonic figure characterized by grotesque and exotic—indeed, monstrous—features. The identification of such traits in the figure of the devil, linked to the notion of alterity, enables a critical deconstruction of the symbolic matrices from which this imagery emerged. Ultimately, the article advances a critical interpretation of the Christian imaginary, emphasizing its role in the production and perpetuation of structures of symbolic and social power.