Spanish Inquisition
Suspected Protestants being tortured during the Spanish Inquisition.
auto-da-fé
public ceremony
Also known as: auto de fé, autos-da-fé
auto-da-fé, a public ceremony during which the sentences upon those brought before the Spanish Inquisition were read and after which the sentences were executed by the secular authorities. The first auto-da-fé took place at Sevilla in 1481; the last, in Mexico in 1850. The ceremonies, which became increasingly elaborate and spectacular, were normally staged in the city plaza, often in the presence of royalty. They usually comprised a lengthy procession, a solemn mass, an oath...
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