Caterina Tarongí facts for kids

Caterina Tarongi i Tarongi (1646, Palma – May 6, 1691) was a Jewish woman executed by the Spanish Inquisition.

The Tarongí i Tarongí family

She was born in Palma, the capital of the then Kingdom of Majorca (which recovered its Roman name Palma in 1715).

She was the daughter of Rafel Josep Felós Tarongí i Aguiló, and Francina Tarongi i Martí. She was the wife of Guillem Morro Tarongi Fès. Caterina's parents had seven children in total: Caterina, Isabel, Margalida, Francina, Francesc Guillem and Rafel.

Between 1677 and 1678, 237 xuetas were imprisoned for celebrating Yom Kippur in the orchards of Pere Onofre Moixina Cortès, after being denounced by Rafel Cortès d'Alfons; among the prisoners of the so-called "Conspiracy of 1678", were all the members of the Tarongí family, who were imprisoned and put on trial by the Inquisition. All the family assets were seized and everyone went away with several light sentences.

Just after the autos-da-fé of 1678, the two oldest siblings of Caterina, Francesc and Guillem, managed to flee the island and arrived in Alexandria (Egypt), where they openly returned to Judaism, taking back their jewish names, David and Salomón, respectively.

The autos-da-fé of 1688

On the afternoon of Sunday March 7, 1688, a group of xueta (Majorcan Jewish) families from Palma tried to flee the island on an English ship, but the vessel failed to set sail and they returned to their homes; however, they were discovered by Mallorcan Catholics, and as a result they were quickly imprisoned.

Unlike the captured during the "Conspiracy of 1678", almost all the conversos were declared Jews and they refused to repent of their intention to return to Judaism in the countries where it was permitted. The trials were conducted during three years. In 1688, her parents and her sister Francina died.

The autos-da-fé of 1691

In 1691, the Spanish Inquisition held autos-da-fé in which a total of 37 Majorcan Crypto-Jews were killed, out of a total of 82 that were processed by the Balearic inquisitorial court:

• On March 7, 1691, when 21 Xuetes were sentenced to light punishments.
• On May 1, 1691: 21 prisoners were sentenced to death.
• On May 6, 1691, when the sentences to 21 other converts were pronounced.
• On July 2, 1691, when 23 converts were sentenced: 17 in person and 6 who were already dead or fugitives.

Caterina Tarongí was executed on 6 May 1691.

Legacy

On May 5, 2011, an official event was held at Consolat de Mar in memory of the execution of 1691, with the attendance of Francesc Antich, president of the Government of the Balearic Islands; Rabbi Nissan ben Avraham, descendant of the Tarongí family, and Rabbi José Wallis, descendant of Rafael Valls. The event was the first ever organized by a regional government in Spain to honor the victims of the Spanish Inquisition.