The Inquisition of Francisca: A Sixteenth-Century Visionary on Trial

The Other Voice in Early Modern Europe: The Chicago Series

by Francisca de los Apóstoles, Gillian T.W. Ahlgren (Translator)

Inspired by a series of visions, Francisca de los Apóstoles (1539-after 1578) and her sister Isabella attempted in 1573 to organize a beaterio , a lay community of pious women devoted to the religious life, to offer prayers and penance for the reparation of human sin, especially those of corrupt clerics. But their efforts to minister to the poor of Toledo and to call for general ecclesiastical reform were met with resistance, first from local religious officials and, later, from the Spanish Inquisition. By early 1575, the Inquisitional tribunal in Toledo had received several statements denouncing Francisca from some of the very women she had tried to help, as well as from some of her financial and religious sponsors. Francisca was eventually arrested, imprisoned by the Inquisition, and investigated for religious fraud.

This book contains what little is known about Francisca—the several letters she wrote as well as the transcript of her trial—and offers modern readers a perspective on the unique role and status of religious women in sixteenth-century Spain. Chronicling the drama of Francisca's interrogation and her spirited but ultimately unsuccessful defense, The Inquisition of Francisca —transcribed from more than three hundred folios and published for the first time in any language—will be a valuable resource for both specialists and students of the history and religion of Spain in the sixteenth century.

Genres: History, Religion

195 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Ella · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m not sure the way this is organised and excerpted works in its favour, and I would have loved more of the contextual testimonies, but also I realise that as someone who reads inquisitorial testimony for work and for fun, I am highly biased. Also I really need to read more Teresa of Ávila, at least based on this kind of context (and rather than because my friend told me I was Teresa of Ávila coded, whatever that means).

[Rina · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a primary source, The Inquisition of Francisca provides an important insight of the Inquisition and its treatment of females, especially in response to theological reformation. One cannot read Ahlgren’s treatment of the case and its translation without considering the importance of gender in relation to the Church. By choosing only documents that featured the voice of the accused, Francisca, Ahlgren automatically creates a bias towards that of Francisca. However, this stylistic tool can be important given that it draws the reader to look not at the church’s views or that of society necessarily, but rather, that of Francisca herself and how she interpreted and enacted her spiritual faith. In a period that did not give precedence or even equal opportunity for women’s voices, inquisition trials such as this provide a rare insight into how women, especially those that were religious, viewed themselves and their faith. Ahlgren’s translation truly does fulfill the goal stated in the introduction of giving precedence to the “other voice.” However, it is problematic to assert that the other voice was that of protest. It can be correct to explore the idea that “the last bastion of masculine supremacy, centred on the notions of a woman’s primary domestic responsibility and the requirement of female chastity, was not as yet assaulted—although visions of productive female communities as alternative to the family indicated an awareness of the problem” (xxvi). However, these assertions bring to mind ideas that there were feminists in the Middle Ages, Early Modern Period, etcetera. Francisca wanted reform for the Church, however, she still acted within her role as a woman. She voluntarily enclosed herself and her fellow “sisters” in her house and sought to establish a convent. This does not necessarily indicate that she sought a modern understanding of equality, but rather, that her actions caused her voice to be recorded by the Inquisition.