PT | EN | ES

Main Menu


Powered by <TEI:TOK>
Maarten Janssen, 2014-

Sentence view

1706. Carta de Blas Martín Pingarrón para fray Francisco Fernández y Villegas, religioso de Nuestra Señora del Monte Carmelo.

Author(s) Blas Martín Pingarrón      
Addressee(s) Francisco Fernández y Villegas      
In English

Letter from Baptista, pseudonym of Blas Martín Pingarrón, to Fray Francisco Fernández y Villegas, religious of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

The author sends news to Fray Francisco Fernández y Villegas about the conversation hold by Manuela Ramos and Fray Pedro de Frutos, the Provincial of the Order.

Following an accusation of alumbrados, dishonesty and having been imbued in the errors of Molinos, a process occurred between 1708 and 1711 against Manuela Ramos, alias Manuela Sánchez or Manuela de Santa Leocadia. Manuela Ramos was born in Novés (Toledo) in 1679 and had a Catholic upbringing. She declared herself Old Christian and a descendant of Old Christians. She lost her mother at age eleven and she moved to Illescas (Toledo) where she began to serve in a convent of the Concepción Francisca. After five years her father died and her brother had her transferred to Santa Isabel convent in Toledo where she learned to read and write. She was devoted to Our Lady of Mount Carmel and had as a confessor Fray Manuel de Santa Leocadia from 1700 to 1704, a Discalced Carmelite who also lived at the convent. In November 1704 Manuela moved to Madrid for three months in order to flee the harassment and threats of a carpenter named Francisco who wanted to marry her. During her time in Madrid, she stayed in Diego de las Cuevas´ house and had as her confessor Fray Francisco Fernández de Villegas, a Discalced Carmelite and Prior of Valdemoro. She married Blas Martín Pingarrón in Toledo in 1707.

During the Holy Office´s process against her, she was tried for heresy, alumbradismo and dishonesty. Specifically, she was accused of: faking visions and divine revelations; premarital relations; and an unlawful carnal knowledge with her confessor, Fray Francisco Fernández de Villegas. 48 letters (PS6143-PS6191) were provided to the process and used as incriminating evidences for the aforementioned crimes. The letters are sewn together in a notebook attached to the documentation of the process. Inside this notebook two epistolary collections can be distinguished: 18 letters written by Blas Martín Pingarrón and addressed to Fray Francisco Fernández de Villegas, and 28 letters written by Manuela Ramos and addressed to Fray Francisco Fernández de Villegas. There is also a letter signed by Diego del Amor, alias Diego de las Cuevas, and another one from Cristobal de Alfaro (PS6164) to Fray Francisco Fernández de Villegas. There is also a copy of a letter from Pedro Pablo Díez, an apothecary from Yepes, to Manuela Ramos (PS6178). Within the process, two other letters which do not appear in the notebook and addressed to Fray Francisco Fernández de Villegas are mentioned: one of them written by Fray Francisco Salazar, a Carmelite from Valdemoro convent, and another one written by Manuela Ramos.

Regarding Blas Martín Pingarrón’s letters, he admitted they were his and in his confession to the Holy Office he explained the reason why he had written them. Villegas frequently visited Manuela Ramos in Toledo because of her visions and hallucinations and asked to be informed about her in his absence. Therefore, the letters from Blas Martín Pingarrón were "basically to tell Villegas of how Manuela Ramos was being tormented by the devil and of her visions" (f. 188r). The correspondence between Blas Martín Pingarrón and Fray Francisco Fernández de Villegas took place approximately from 1706 to 1707 and its content was used as incriminating evidence to prove that either Manuela Ramos or Villegas were "deluded, deceiver, hypocrite and feigner of supernatural favours" (f. 231r). In the letters, Blas Martín Pingarrón used to sign as "Baptista" and refer to Manuela Ramos as "M" or as "Rosa".

Regarding Manuela Ramos’ letters, she did not admit to being their author in her confession to the Holy Office. Instead, she argued they were written by a María Basagutia, with whom the defendant had lived for a while in Toledo. During the process, this statement was proved to be false and it was also proved that the letters belonged to Manuela Ramos. She was accused of trying to deceive the Court by changing her handwriting: "[...] neither is less worthy of reflection the changing variety of handwriting which the defendant tries to deceive us with (although unsuccessfully) since she has proved many times this handwriting is hers. She may have thought that she could scape blame for being the author of the letters by deceiving this tribunal into thinking it was not her handwriting. Nevertheless, before she was arrested she recognised that the signatures on the documents and denouncements were hers. On these documents the capital letters found in the signatures indicate she writes with great agility. After she was imprisoned and being suspicious over the use of the letters as exhibits, she began to simulate different handwritings in the signatures of the hearings. She was trying to demonstrate clumsiness and difficulty either in the sluggishness she was signing on or the hesitation about whether or not would be able to begin with capital letters" (f. 557r-v)." These suspicions, together with the opinion of four handwriting experts, show that Manuela Ramos is the author. The correspondence between Manuela Ramos and Fray Francisco Fernández de Villegas was exchanged approximately from 1704 to 1706 and it was used as incriminating evidence to prove their relationship was not just spiritual. Some of the reasons to believe so were the following ones: there were crosses and zeros representing kisses and hugs in many of the letters; the cautious way they were writing, withholding their names and; lastly, some of the treatment formulas they employed (for instance: my soul´s husband). Manuela Ramos used to sign her letters as "Manuela de Santa Leocadia" or "Manuela Bautista".

Ultimately, the content of the letters filed in the process documentation were used as exhibit not only to prove that the relationship between Manuela Ramos and Fray Francisco Fernández de Villegas did not reflect "a spiritual love, on the contrary [...] it was human love, sensitive and very close to the sensuality, which probably was, and at least very dangerous and leading to spiritual ruin against honesty" (f. 231r); but also to accuse Manuela Ramos and Fray Francisco Fernández de Villegas of eluded and alumbrados.

In the trial sentence against Manuela Ramos the judgment was: the defendant should lose half of her properties; she should walk to the scaffold as a penitent, candle in hand, to publicly abjure of the errors and heresies she was accused of; she should be exiled for four years from the court of Madrid and eight leagues from the villages of Novés and Illescas; she should pass the first of those four years in prison, wearing the sanbenito, the garment of public humiliation, on her clothes.

The defendant admitted this letter was written by her husband. When asked about the expression "Salazarillo", the defendant explained it referred to Fray Francisco de Salazar. Regarding the rest of the nicknames that appear in the letter the defendant explained that "Cabellito" referred to Fray Matías Cabello, a Carmelite theological lector; "Soto" referred to Fray Antonio de Soto; "Ortiz" referred to José Ortiz, a teacher at the convent: "el viejo" referred to Fray Manuel de Paredes, alias Manuel de Santa Leocadia; the priest "Fuente" referred to Fray Francisco de la Fuente; and at last, the priest "Tozuelo" was the nickname given to Fray Francisco de Salazar by the Provincial.

If there is no translation for the letter itself, you may copy the text (while using the view 'Standardization') and paste it to an automatic translator of your choice.

Text: -


[1]
jhs
[2]
Padre y sor mio
[3]
pr la de Vm vemos como el Probinzial le esscrivio del conozimto en q se allava sobre la buena volunttad de los Benditos
[4]
ayer fue quando Manuela bajo pr la tarde y si no ubiera yo estado oy ocupado escriviera mas largo todo lo q ablaron
[5]
y No obstantte dire la substanzia
[6]
y empezando, sera con ntra Me del carmen a quien fue M. a ver lo primero y dando 2 r de platta a trabajillos Mando la enzendiesse belas
[7]
y viendola tan hermossa empezo a llorar de gozo
[8]
a tpo q el Probinzial llego y la vio llorando y con gran zumba la dijo q es esto
[9]
dejemos ya Melancolias;
[10]
no estemos tristes prque todo se a de sossegar
[11]
Respondiole no señor
[12]
muy alegre estoy sino es q de ver a mi Me tan dulce lloro de alegria
[13]
dijo el Prol, su Me dize
[14]
como puede ser su Me si a dejado el abitto
[15]
ezo no puede zer:
[16]
y sentandosse al Brassero q el mismo Bajo empezaron su conferencia diziendola q de su Boca queria oyr quien eran los persseguidores aqui
[17]
sin Reserbar a ninguno le satisfizo dandole quenta de lo q cada uno abia ablado y en donde
[18]
y assimismo el atrebimiento de Monasterios prq tambien quisso saberlo de su boca y oyendole
[19]
y assimismo los disparattes q a ablado
[20]
se escandalizo dizdo no tienen de religiossos mas q el abitto
[21]
son unos Bigardos
[22]
sepa usted q la primera noche q enttre en este convto al tiempo de la zena empezo esse salazarillo conbertido de la Beatilla a que yo le ataje dizdo dejemos essa pieza q yo quissiera tener quien me convirtiera
[23]
y queriendo el prosseguir le replique que ni que a usted la onrrasse queria que Boca q se avia empleado en dessonrrarla no merezia ablar ni aun para onrrarla
[24]
y esto con un Boto a xptto
[25]
le dije sepa V P que quantas vezes a mormurado d ella a cometido un pecado Mortal
[26]
a que assustado me respondio pues yo no me é confessado de esso.
[27]
y le dige pues añada V P tantos sacrilegios quantas confessiones y comuniones a echo en todo el tpo con obligon de restituzon pero q ni aun pra pedirla perdon quiero q V P la tome en su Boca en mi pressenzia:
[28]
Cuerdo me fue con la mesma Rezeta y llevo la misma Respuesta pues que ellos sean ô no mis Amigos primero es la verdad
[29]
fuentte no me a ablado una palabra desde que entre en este convto
[30]
en el de Baldemoro le pusse de tal suertte que me dejo con la palabra en la Boca y se salio de la zelda pero yo le llamare y acabare la obra q alla se empezo.
[31]
y pr Ulttimo La dijo que en la primera plattica les avia dado a enttender el animo q traya de defender la verdad pero q en la segda y terzera se declararia mas
[32]
y que a cada uno en particular y a todos en comunidad les avia de echar excomunion si la tomavan en Boca pra Mormurarla con pena de que a qualquiera q no le obedeziesse fuesse Maestro o de la gerarquia q fuesse le avia de echar 50 leguas d este conventto pra lo qual dejaria zeladores Denttro y fuera del conventto
[33]
y q si nossotros supiessemos algo le escriviessemos estubiesse en Md o en Salamanca q quando en Respuesta no ymbiasse pattentte pra echar al q yncurriese las 50 leguas de aqui le tubiessemos pr un Ruyn hombre
[34]
y ottras cossas q fuera nunca acabar el referirlas todas en prueba de lo empeñado q estava en attajar este perssecuzion.
[35]
tambien dijo como cabellito soto y hortiz le avian dho en ntro abono mucho.
[36]
en el ynttermedio de la converssazon saco al Pe ssta Leocadia que devia de aberle ablado lo que era razon y lo q nos estimava)
[37]
y la dijo tengo de yr a llamar al ssr viejo
[38]
y subio a buscarle y estava fuera del convto conq bajo dizdo si uste viera los frayles todos en los corredores como judios espantados viendo al Pe Probinzial tan diligte con vissita en la yglessia unos cuchicheando y otros escondiendosse
[39]
ellos la pagaran ô no e de ser yo frutos.
[40]
despues la dijo ya que e visto a usted no me e de yr sin ver al ssr Blas
[41]
y diziendole Manla los ynconbenienttes la respondio q no se me pussiesse nada pr delantte q de dos a tres estava solo y que si no el bendria a verme conq me sera prezisso bajar un dia d estos.
[42]
diola una puntada sobre cossas yntteriores y ella le dijo q estava pronpta debajo de confesson a manifestarsselas
[43]
a que la dijo esso no fuera hazer
[44]
yo confianza tengola muy grande y de q esto es todo Perssecuzon diabolica pr medio de las malas volunttades d estos vigardos
[45]
y assi pra que la e de Moler ni molerme:
[46]
lo que la asseguro es q si ubiera de estar yo en este conventto de Assientto le pidiera pr Mrd a su Marido q me la dejasse pr hija de confesson y fuera yo tambien de los ylussos
[47]
esto es pe mio pr Mayor lo q passo q como digo fuera nunca acabar escrivirlo todo pr menor;
[48]
aora Pe mio enttremos en quenttas y veamos que emos sacado nossottros y q an sacado los bendittos
[49]
y allaremos q nossottros merezimto y ellos mucha confussion aca y mucha mas q les aguarda alla
[50]
vien ziertto es que si fueran hombres de enttendimto era matteria pra caersse muertos de pena
[51]
Dios los abra los ojos pra q conozcan su yerro q zierto si no lo vemos pareze no lo devemos creer.
[52]
en quantto al Prioratto de Baldemoro Vm ara muy vien de tomarle que a todos nos tiene quenta sino es al Pe Tozuelo q le abremos de escrivir el Pessame
[53]
Dios es fiel y oye a sus pobres aflijidos.
[54]
en quantto a lo de Gettafe Vm no ttenga el menor cuidado que ya se ban serenando y esto no a de poder Concluir asta q el sio benga aca q sera en brebe.
[55]
e Rezvo no vino el correo passado pues Vm no dize en la suya mas de q dn Diego entregaria los 18 duc
[56]
si por alla pareziere me le remitira Vm
[57]
y si no no es menester otro.
[58]
a los herms dara Vm finas memas de ntra partte
[59]
y a Dios Pe mio q nos le ge abrassado en su Amor
[60]
toledo y dize 10 de 1706
[61]
hijos de Vm q de corazon le Aman en xpto Blas y Manla
[62]
havissenos Vm si Regalaremos al Probinzial pues aunq tenemos echo el gusto a hazerlo nos dettiene el q no parezca genero de paga pr lo q haze

Edit as listText viewWordcloudFacsimile viewManuscript line viewPageflow view