Terrassa witch trials

The Terrassa witch trials took place in Terrassa in Spain between 1615 and 1619.

The area around Terrassa had in 1615 been affected by bad economy and troubled weather for several years, which was rumored to be caused by witches, who gathered to worship Satan. The rumors eventually resulted in a witch panic that forced the authorities to form a witch commission and deal with all complaints in order to prevent lynchings. In 1619, a group of suspects was arrested, examined for the witch mark and confessed to having attended a witches' Sabbath. On 27 October 1619, Margarida Tafanera, Eulalia Totxa, Joana Sabina, Guillermo "Miramunda" Font and Miquela "Esclopera" Casanovas were executed in Terrassa.

Spain had relatively few witch trials compared to other areas in Europe, since the Spanish Inquisition had issued mild guidelines in cases of witchcraft after the Navarre witch trials (1525-26), and the Terrassa witch trials took place during the period of the most intense witch panic, in 1618-1622, after which the witch trials in Spain nearly disappeared.[1]

In 2015, a found footage film entitled The Last Witch showcased three filmmakers tracking down the story of Joana Toy, a sixth accused woman who disappeared prior to the executions. Toy had confessed to witchcraft while being tortured.[2]

References

  1. ↑ Stuart Clark & William Monter: Witchcraft and Magic in Europe, Volume 4: The Period of the Witch Trials
  2. ↑ Joaquim, Verdaguer. "The Witch Hunt in Terrassa". La Torre. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
  • Palos, Sani (2-12-1997). «Brujas en Terrassa: una historia y un enigma no del todo olvidados». Diario de Terrassa: 9.
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