Caterina Tarongí facts for kids

Caterina Tarongí i Tarongí (born in Palma in 1646 – died May 6, 1691) was a Jewish woman from the island of Majorca. She lived during a time when the Spanish Inquisition had great power. Sadly, she was executed by the Inquisition because of her Jewish faith.

Caterina's Family

Caterina was born in Palma, which was the main city of the Kingdom of Majorca back then. Her parents were Rafel Josep Tarongí i Aguiló and Francina Tarongi i Martí. She married Guillem Tarongi Fès. Caterina had six brothers and sisters: Isabel, Margalida, Francina, Francesc, Guillem, and Rafel.

In 1677 and 1678, many people known as xuetas were arrested. Xuetas were families in Majorca who had Jewish roots but were forced to convert to Christianity. They were caught celebrating Yom Kippur, a Jewish holy day, in secret. This event was called the "Conspiracy of 1678." All members of the Tarongí family were arrested and put on trial by the Inquisition. Their belongings were taken away, and they received light punishments.

After these trials in 1678, Caterina's two older brothers, Francesc and Guillem, managed to escape Majorca. They traveled all the way to Alexandria in Egypt. There, they openly returned to practicing Judaism. They even took back their original Jewish names, David and Salomón.

The 1688 Escape Attempt

On March 7, 1688, a group of xueta families from Palma tried to leave Majorca on an English ship. They wanted to go to a place where they could practice their Jewish faith freely. However, the ship could not sail, and they had to return home. When they got back, people in Majorca found out about their escape attempt. As a result, they were quickly arrested and put in prison.

Unlike the people caught in 1678, most of these conversos (people who had converted to Christianity) openly said they were Jewish. They refused to say they were sorry for wanting to return to Judaism. Their trials lasted for three years. During this time, in 1688, Caterina's parents and her sister Francina sadly passed away.

The 1691 Public Trials

In 1691, the Spanish Inquisition held several large public trials and punishments called autos-da-fé. These events were meant to show the power of the Inquisition. During these trials, 37 Majorcan Crypto-Jews were killed. Crypto-Jews were people who secretly kept their Jewish faith even though they were forced to act like Christians.

Here are the dates of these sad events:

• On March 7, 1691, 21 Xuetes received lighter punishments.
• On May 1, 1691, 21 prisoners were sentenced to death.
• On May 6, 1691, sentences were given to 21 other converts.
• On July 2, 1691, 23 converts were sentenced. Some were present, and others had already died or escaped.

Caterina Tarongí was executed on May 6, 1691.

Remembering Caterina

On May 5, 2011, an important event took place in Consolat de Mar. This event remembered the people who were executed in 1691. Important people attended, including Francesc Antich, who was the president of the Government of the Balearic Islands. Also present were Rabbi Nissan ben Avraham, who is a descendant of the Tarongí family, and Rabbi José Wallis. This event was very special because it was the first time a government in Spain officially honored the victims of the Spanish Inquisition.

See also

In Spanish: Caterina Tarongí para niños