Alumbrados facts for kids

The Alumbrados (which means Illuminated in Spanish) were a group of Christians in Spain during the 1400s and 1500s. They believed in a special, mystical way of connecting with God.

Some Alumbrados had ideas that were only a little different from the main church teachings. But others held beliefs that were seen as heresy, which means they went strongly against what the church taught at the time. Because of this, they were investigated and punished by the Spanish Inquisition, a powerful religious court.

What They Believed

The Alumbrados believed that a person's soul could become so perfect that they could directly experience God and understand the mystery of the Trinity (God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) while still alive.

They thought that if you reached this perfect state, you didn't need many traditional church practices. They felt things like receiving sacraments (like communion) were not important. They even believed that in this state of complete union with God, a person couldn't commit sin, no matter what they did. This idea was called impeccability.

In 1525, the Inquisition explained their findings about the Alumbrados. They listed many ideas from the Alumbrados' early leaders, Isabel de la Cruz and Pedro Ruiz de Alcaraz [es], that they considered wrong. For example, some Alumbrados believed it was a serious sin to read a book to comfort yourself. They also thought it was wrong to love a family member unless you loved them only through God. The Inquisition said these ideas were "crazy" or "false."

Important Cases

• La Beata de Piedrahita: In 1511, a young woman from Salamanca claimed she could talk with Jesus and the Virgin Mary. The Inquisition looked into her, but she was not severely punished. Some people thought she was connected to the Alumbrados' ideas, but it's not certain.

• Fernando Méndez: A priest from Seville, Fernando Méndez, was known for being very holy. He taught his followers to pray to him as if he were already a saint. He died before the Inquisition could put him on trial.

• Ignatius of Loyola: In 1527, while studying in Salamanca, Ignatius of Loyola (who later founded the Jesuits) was questioned by church officials. They thought he might have similar ideas to the Alumbrados. He was warned but was not found guilty.

• Sister María Justa de Jesús: Much later, in the late 1600s and early 1700s, a nun named Sister María Justa de Jesús in Tenerife (part of the Canary Islands) was accused of having beliefs similar to the Alumbrados. She was famous because people believed she could heal the sick. The Holy Inquisition investigated her. She had many people who defended her. After she died, her religious order tried to make her a saint, but this process had to stop because of the controversy.

How They Were Punished

Compared to other heresies, the Alumbrados were often not punished as harshly. Most were not executed, and few were imprisoned for a long time. Many were only tried after they had gathered many followers in cities like Toledo or Salamanca.

However, not everyone was lucky. In 1529, a group of followers in Toledo were whipped and put in prison. Over time, the punishments became stricter, especially in Córdoba. Even with these strong actions, the Alumbrados' ideas continued to exist until the mid-1600s. It's not clear if later Alumbrados were directly connected to the first leaders, but their teachings likely continued to influence people.

See also

In Spanish: Alumbrados para niños