A ‘hero’ and a ‘martyr’ for freedom: Don Giovanni Minzoni in antifascist martyrology, 1943–53

The article focuses on the evolution of Don Minzoni’s martyrdom in the decade between the beginning of the Resistance in Italy and the end of the first legislature. Through an evaluation of archival and printed sources, the analysis shows how the memory of Don Minzoni, a priest killed by the Fascists in August 1923, played a dual role: it functioned as a strategic resource for Democrazia Cristiana (Christian Democracy) and contributed to reshaping Catholic identity in the postwar period. By tracing the evolving representations of Don Minzoni, the article highlights the interplay between continuity and rupture in postwar Italy. It shows how memory, religion and politics intersected in the construction of a democratic order that was not only institutional but also rooted in a Christian moral framework.