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Maarten Janssen, 2014-

PS6146

1706. Carta de Baptista, pseudónimo 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 explains to Fray Francisco Fernández Villegas his conversations with Manuela Ramos.

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.

When asked about this letter, Manuela Ramos admitted it was her husband´s. Concerning the "story" they both wanted to disguise, she affirmed it referred to her wedding with Blas Martín Pingarrón, given his family´s opposition. Regarding the expression "está como la cera con el pábilo" (literally: "she is like wax in the wick"; meaning "she is smitten with him") she said it alluded to her being in love. José Portocarrero, archdeacon of Toledo, is the identity of the "arcedianito" mentioned in the letter. Manuela Ramos confessed that one month after José Portocarrero passed away, he kept haunting her in several visions and one night he asked her to celebrate a mass in Nuestra Señora del Sagrario´s church. When asked about the identity of "Olallita", the defendant explained she was Cristobal de Alfaro´s daughter, whose family wanted her to take the robes to become a nun despite the young girl´s ennui. Olalla went to Manuela Ramos in order to avoid that destiny and she asked her husband to put a word to Fray Francisco Fernández y Villegas to mediate with Cristobal de Alfaro, although she was not kin to interfere in this sort of matter.

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jhs

Padre y sr mio la de Vm Rezivimos con todo consuelo porque nos le da grande y nuebo cada una q leemos. y esto se repitte algunas vezes; lo q quisse dezir a Vm en mi passada fue q M. creo da muestras de no ser esteril. prque ya ay bastanttes yndicios y aun alguna probabilidad y para No dezirlo tan claro en mi cartta hize Recuerdo a Vm de lo que me a dho tocantte a la q la acompaño asta el carmen desde la puente creyendo aria Vm memoria d ello Respecto de averme dho se lo tiene conttado a Vm y es q bien se acordara del gran trabajo en q la pusso el sr en Noves y q enpezando la sobredha a cantarla se le dio a enttender diziendo q gran tribulasn a passado poco tpo a y contra su creditto Refiriendola ottras cossas q la avian passado y avian de pasar lo qual dize la causso gran nobedad asta q conozio vien quien era y q fue assida de la mano asta la puerta del carmen q se abrio y en se entro como en su cassa q en todo el camino la fue conssolando mucho animandola pra lo mucho q se la a ofrezdo padezer y animandola a ello y diziendola q esto no zesaria asta q Dios la pussiesse en el estado q oy se alla prque en el queria su Magd grangear tres almas q fuessen muy suyas y aun el estado q cada uno d ellos avia de tener y dize M. q si aora no lo entiende Vm q pra el correo q viene lo dira mas p estenso q en esto de ofrezer dezir para despues no es nada corta aunq lo es tanto pra de presente q si no es lo q dize no â avido forma de dezir ottra cossa si vien no lo puede remediar) pr las Razones dhas dije a Vm conssiderando entenderia Vm como M. esta q es prezisso se descubra este quentto prque un mes u dos se podra dissimular pero mas no y q entonzes sera quando ablen q en la verdad no dejaremos de tener q ofrezer a Dios si vien nos allamos con buenos Animos, yo quissiera no aguardar a tpo crudo pra dezirlo a mi me y el secretario y me alegrara lo q no es creyble de q lo tomassen vien ya q en lo general an de sentir todos mal) y assi me habitara Vm la forma a q mejor le parezca lo q me a dho M. es q se alla tan enamorada y unida q aunq quisiera desunirsse no pudiera prque dize q esta como la zera con el pabilo q uno sin otro no puede luzir ni es de probecho y que entre las nezessidades q la an encomendado a ssido una el alma del arzedianito q la tiene a cuestas seis dias a y aviendola pedido una missa de limosna en ntra Me del Sagrario prque estava muy olvidado de tanttos q le devieron hazer vien (desengaño q mete grima y haze temblar) y aviendo tenido M. alguna omissn sin culpa la convido ntra Me el lunes pra este Martes y ella fue. Muy contenta y assi q entro en la capilla se allo Rodeada de llamas ynterior y exteriormente q dize q aunq esto a passado lo q vm sabe nunca a ssido con el Rigor q aora pues creyo morir segun las Angustias padezio q fue ora y media despues a ssido un dia ô dos por brebe Ratto y pr fin esta fizdo una Novena a ntra Me q cumple el dia de sn Matheo y este dia la tienen ofrezido yr a este alma a Rogar a Dios. a los herm finas memo y a dn Diego q ynbie a juanico a cassa de Miguel de Goyeneche mercader en la calle mayor y el pr de ma. q se le remiti en un enpdo su coste es 30 r.

emos savido el de olallita y no obstante lo q vm toca no sientte vien M. y sabe q dn Matheo su Me y Dn Benito son quien hazen esto sin dar parte a dn xpttobal y olallita la a ymbiado a M. un Recado dizdo que pida a Dios la quite la vida anttes q la prezissen prque no es su gusto a ello lo qual me dijo a mi y que no queria metersse en nada y yo biendo lo q lo sentia y lo q la estima la dije escriviria esto a vm pr si le pareziere ablar algo a dn xptobal y a benido en ello es quanto se ofreze y q vm nos encomiende a Dios q nos gde a vm en si mismo tol y septe 17 de 1706

hijos de vm q de corazon le Aman en xpto Bapta y Rossa

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