III. Autos de fe
Many of the infamous autos de fe, ritualized spectacles where sentences were announced and prisoners led off to be "penanced" amid much pomp and pageantry, generated special documentary genres of their own. Prisoner lists, printed sermon texts, descriptive (and sometimes illustrated) pamphlets known as relaciones all bear witness to the scale, the tenor, and the contemporary significance of these emblematic gatherings.
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About Sources
The Inquisition collection at the University of Notre Dame contains at least 50 items which can serve to illustrate the richness and variety of documents produced to record the spectacular events known as inquisitorial autos de fe. Many other exemplars are listed in van der Vekene, and copies can be found at a variety of libraries including the Newberry (Chicago), Lilly (Indiana University, Bloomington), Hebrew Union College (Cincinnati), Catholic University of America (Washington) and Lea libraries (University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia) as well as in the state collections of Lisbon and Rio de Janeiro.
For more information about the collection, for appointments to view items for research purposes, or for rights and reproductions, please email us at rarebooks@nd.edu or visit our website.