"The censorship and inquisitorial control in 1747 and the works of spiritual and religious literature of seventeenth-century Spain"

Abstract

This article focuses on the analysis I have made of the file of the Inquisition 3436, which is in the National Historical Archive of Spain. It contains a collection of letters from varius ecclesiastical centers throughout Spain. These letters informed about prohibited books that were in their libraries, where these books were and who were the ones in charge of them, as ordered by the Edict of 1747, proclaimed by the Inquisitor General Francisco Pérez de Prado. This documentation provides, through bibliographic listings, a interesting information about the literary genres that abounded in these libraries, stading out especially the religious works and books of spirituality of the 17th century, as well as the control maintained by the Inquisition on certain genres. Particularly worthy of mention are the works of spiritual literature of the 17th century in Spain, an aspect that indicates the continuity, success, creation and production that these works continued to have in 17th century Spain, despite the little interest and  value that some researchers tell.