PT | EN | ES

Menu principal


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

Visualização das frases

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

Autor(es) Blas Martín Pingarrón      
Destinatário(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 writes to Fray Francisco Fernández y Villegas lamenting over a debt and to let him know Manuela is not pregnant.

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.

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.

Texto: -


[1]
jhs Padre y sor mio
[2]
con la de Vm emos Rezivido todo conssuelo assi prque en las carttas no se declaro Vm mas que en desmentir a los Pes como por lo que nos assegura en lo tocantte a las vozes que corren de Manuela a quien no se la ofreze cossa en contrario de lo que Vm dize pues esta muy zierta que no tiene en su corazon cossa que no sea del gusto de Dios prque estos son sus anelos y desseos y a esto endereza todas sus operaziones:
[3]
yo estoy con la misma seguridad pues aunq no la tubiera la experienzia de su trato me la ensseñara
[4]
y assi este Vm ziertto que no hazemos casso de las Vozes del Bulgo aunq no podemos negar q en alguna manera las emos sentido por las Razones q se dejan discurrir
[5]
tanpoco puedo negar que e sentido el Retiro de Parientes y Amigos no prque me faltta el conozimto de q en sustanzia para nada me hazen faltta, pero se ofrezen tantas cossas pr el pressente y en espezial los quatro mill Ducados q devo entregar a esta gente pra Navidad
[6]
y que esto es prezisso porque de no an de hazer diligas que padezca mi credito pq si la sangre pudieran vevernos creo no lo escussaran,
[7]
y veo que aunq a mi me deven en essa cortte doblada canttidad como las cossas tocante a negozios estan tan desquiziadas me es ynpossible juntar ni aun la mitad
[8]
me tray con bastantte cuidado y ynquietud y pr fin veo q es prezisso pagar esta canttidad y ottras so pena de padezer mi creditto,
[9]
y veo tanbien q todos los puertos tengo zerrados para poder cumplir.
[10]
esto
[11]
no estrañara Vm que yo sientta y mas en las zircunstanzias pressentes que por ellas mismas no quissiera yo que nadie tubiera que enjuagarsse conmigo en materia de mres
[12]
ya conozco que de todas maneras nos quiere Dios zercados por el pressentte q en adelantte tengo mucha fee de q Su Magd me a de dar mas vienes que yo le sepa pedir.
[13]
y que los que aora pienssan que me e de ver arrastrado y destruido an de ynbidiar mi buena suerte, a pessar de sus dañados desseos
[14]
Las memas del herm dn Diego estimamos mucho y ya emos Repassado nosottros algunas vezes q se le ofrezera vien qdar a Dios y que pr fin se alla mas dessamparado q nossottros lo qual nos haze bastantte lastima,
[15]
Manuela dize que pra Vm solo: no puede escussar el dezir que no haze vien en mudar de traje pq los gastos q esto tray conssigo y porq la pareze que Alfaro no a de sentir vien d ello
[16]
y assi q Vm si no tubiere ynconbenientte procure el disidirle d esto.
[17]
en qto a la cartta de yssidro allandosse en essa corte si Vm le ve nos parezera vien q se la pida porq no esta vien enagenado semejante papel
[18]
y sobre esto nos dira Vm lo q se ofrezca.
[19]
el secretario me escrive este correo su sentimientto y de mi Madre y tiniendo los fundamtos q tienen pra ello les Respondo Confessando tienen Razon pq en la verdad les an escrito d esta zuidad en carttas sin firma y con ella cossas que me espanto no aya mi Me caido en una cama pues me dize q le escriven tendremos fruto de Bendizon dentro de tres Meses y q esta es la Santtd de Manuela y que semejantte escandalo no se a visto en esta Zuidad y otros mill disparattes
[20]
conq siendo esto lo primero q llego a su notizia no ay que espantar que esten con pessadumbre;
[21]
Alfaro y el hermo Pedro me dijeron que todavia no an buelto de talavera) que en yendo a madrid.
[22]
yrian una tarde a Gettafe y los dessengañarian conq no tiene Vm q escrivir nada al ssio pque no estan maduros todavia.
[23]
no e dho a Vm como emos andado al Redopelo, que Manuela no esta preñada de que damos muchas grazas a Dios porque siquiera en esto conozga la gente quan errados son sus juizios aunque como nos dijo alfaro allara su Malizia saldada dizdo que a malparido
[24]
Dios les abra los ojos pra que conozcan su yerro y a Vm nos le ge m a
[25]
toledo y octte 26 de 1706
[26]
olvidavasseme dezir a Vm q la ligitima es del chiquillo q pr convenir a unos y a otros nos ajustamos en q pra Navidad daria yo satisfazon d ella q a la de mi chica no tienen aczion ninguna q si la tubieran no se descuidaran.
[27]
hijos de Vm q de corazon le Aman en Dios Blas y Manuela

Edit as listRepresentação em textoWordcloudRepresentação em facsímileManuscript line viewPageflow view