ABSTRACT:
In this paper we intend to show that Tribunal del Santo Oficio (Inquisition)'s jurisdiction went far beyond the crimes against the catholic faith and its attributes, not limiting itself to accuse, arrest, judge and condemn heretics. Juan Jose Lopez Vidaurri's case allows us to investigate the persecution and punishment of a large group of French liberalism followers, those who were interested in the enlightened ideas and who had turned their everyday lifestyle towards a new conception of the world. Education and the habit of reading provided them with the necessary tools for the society's secularization. The emphasis is on the fine line that separates religion from politics, the way in which "vassals" were undermining the power of institutions and the new actors/players who held power in the age of enlightenment.
Keywords:
Secularization; Inquisition; Education; Enlightenment.