As of now, our group is doing research into the social implications of th Catholic practice of the Auto da Fe (Act of Faith) in Spain during the Counter-Reformation (Baroque) period. We aim to look into the progression of the violence of the Auto da Fe as entertainment inSpain over the course of the 17th century, and link it to the violent entertainment of the gladiatorial games of Ancient Rome. Beginning as a purely religious punishment of heretics, the Auto da Fe enveloped over time into a social event and symbol of Catholic power and superiority. The event became a huge social event that the people of Spain looked forward to for entertainment purposes. This use of violence and public death for public entertainment hearkens back to the brutal entertainment experienced by the society of Ancient Rome during the gladiatorial games, but with a distinct religious justification. This religious justification for society indulging in such can be seen in the art depicting the Auto da Fe in Spain.
Bethencourt, Francisco. "The Auto da Fe: Ritual and Imagery." Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes, Vol. 55, 1992: 155-168.
Link: http://www.jstor.org.proxy.lib.fsu.edu/stable/pdfplus/751421.pdf?acceptTC=true
This article tellls about the background of the medieval practice of the Auto da Fe, and how it changed later in Spain in the Counter-Reformation (Baroque) period. He talks about how the rituals changed and it became more of a show of the triumph of the Catholic state and a social event than the smaller punishment that it was previously. This article is really good for a background on the practice and for getting a clear progression of the change of the even in social context.
Also, a really good source to look at is Francisco Rizi's painting Auto da Fe en la Plaza Mayor de Madrid (1683). The painting depicts one of the largest and most severe Auto da Fe events in Spanish history.
Link: http://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?/html/r/rizi/4autodaf.html
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