1620. Carta de Fernando de Mendonça, frade, para o seu irmão, Gaspar da Cunha de Mendonça.

Family letter from Fernando de Mendonça, friar, to his brother, Gaspar da Cunha de Mendonça.

The author uses a code and asks his brother to warn some people.

The defendant in this process is the friar Fernando de Mendonça, 30 years old, accused of sodomy. The defendant was born and resident in Lisbon, son of Sebastião Correia da Cunha and Dona Maria da Costa. He had been married to Francisca Fajarda, from Castile, having separated from her to follow a religious life. On November 4, 1620, Francisco Ramalho, who had a connection to the Holy Office, 56 years old, married to Catarina Dias and resident in Torres Vedras, denounced the defendant and, with the help of André Fernandes, goldsmith and also with a connection to the Holy Office, imprisoned Fernando de Mendonça, at the farm of his brother, Gaspar da Cunha de Mendonça, in Alcobaça. The defendant was then led to Torres Vedras, where he remained for a few days. Two days after his arrest, Francisco Ramalho made a visit to the defendant to offer his services, and the latter asked him to deliver a letter to his mother (PSCR0336), who was with his brother Gaspar. The defendant ended up writing another letter to his brother (PSCR0337), and both letters were delivered to André Fernandes, who handed them over to the table of the Inquisition. When he was asked about the content of the cipher, the defendant replied that it was only a list with the names of people who had committed the sin of sodomy. However, he said different things in other points of his testimony. Although the letters have not been deciphered by the Inquisition, it is thought that their content was a warning to those involved, for them not to denounce each other. In an auto da fé on December 17, 1621, he was condemned to row in the galleys forever, among other penances.