Podcast Summary: "Acontece que no es poco"

Episode: 24 de septiembre de 1559: ¡Jolgorio católico en Sevilla! ¡Pasen y vean! Vamos a quemar a seres humanos
Host: Nieves Concostrina (SER Podcast)
Date: September 24, 2025

Overview of the Episode

In this episode, Nieves Concostrina revisits one of the most chilling and festive auto de fe events in Spanish history: the mass execution of alleged Lutherans in Seville on September 24, 1559. With her trademark irreverence and critical eye, Nieves details how these religious spectacles were highly orchestrated public events, drawing crowds and transforming the city into a site of both official piety and popular entertainment.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Sevilla’s Carnival Atmosphere for an Auto de Fe

• The host evokes the city’s transformation, comparing the event’s draw with modern sports finals or rock concerts ([00:33]).
• "Ese día Sevilla era puro jolgorio. Sevilla era una fiesta." – Nieves ([01:17])
• The description includes decorated balconies, street food, crowds renting rooms, processions, grandstands, candles, music—everything for the masses, all for free.

2. The Mechanics and Rationale of the Auto de Fe

• Concostrina sharply outlines what an auto de fe entailed: it was not just a religious purification but a public humiliation and execution that drew in the citizenry ([03:18]).
• "Un auto de fe era la previa de los asesinatos." – Nieves ([03:21])
• Attendees were granted "indulgences"—a spiritual benefit for participating in the spectacle ([04:02]).
• Notable explanation of the euphemism "relajados" for those executed:
  "A los asesinados en la hoguera se les llamaba relajados... porque los inquisidores... luego entregaban los reos a la justicia ordinaria para que los mataran otros..." ([04:30])

3. From Burning Jews to Burning Protestants

• The focus of persecution had shifted: initially Jews (for lucrative confiscation of goods), now Lutherans, as Protestantism spread rapidly ([05:26]).
• The ideological business underpinning Catholic action is highlighted.
• "El miedo al judío lo sustituyeron por el miedo al luterano. El negocio es que estaba en peligro." – Nieves ([07:07])
• Pointed contemporary critique, referencing public figures and the continuity of such attitudes, provoking listeners to reflect on present-day biases ([06:37]).

4. The Notable Victims—Who Was Burned?

• Several highly prominent figures of Seville’s elite were among those targeted—nobility, clergy, intellectuals, aristocrats ([08:16]):
  • Juan Ponce de León, son of the Count of Bailén
  • Constantino Ponce de la Fuente, cathedral canon and former confessor to Charles V
  • Maria de Bohórquez, intellectual, nun, expert in classical languages
  • Francisco de Zafra, legal doctor and Inquisition official (noting the irony of persecutor turned accused)
  • Jerónimos monks of St. Isidoro del Campo (escaped to Geneva)
• Literary and cultural context: Casiodoro de Reina, who fled and became the first translator of the Bible into Spanish ([10:33]).

5. Details of the Ceremony and Parallels with Modern Traditions

• The religious procession and execution mirrored the modern Holy Week processions in spectacle and ritual, minus the execution ([11:12]).
• "Las proces eran igual, igualita que las que hacen ahora en su Semana Santa... solo que ahora ya no les permiten asesinar." – Nieves ([11:27])
• Vivid recount of ceremonial details:
  • 40 friars from all orders, soldiers, clergy, band, condemned in sanbenitos marked with flames, special platforms for dignitaries, a veiled green cross symbolizing the church's 'mourning' ([12:15]).

6. The Grim Finale: Execution as a Morbid Spectacle

• After the sentencings at San Francisco Square, the crowd rushes to the San Diego “quemadero,” eager to witness the final act:
  "la gente llegaba a la carrera para pillar sitio para ver cómo los ataban al palo... los apedreaban, los insultaban, para terminar viendo con satisfacción cómo seres humanos se retorcían entre llamas." – Nieves ([13:37])
• Discussion on the psychological morbidity not on the part of historians or narrators, but on those who made and celebrated these events.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "Sevilla fue una fiesta aquel 24 de septiembre, gracias a ese Dios tan clemente, tan misericordioso y tan criminal como para perdérselo." – Nieves ([01:53])
• "El timo de las indulgencias se sigue practicando." – Nieves ([04:12])
• "Son el mismo perro pero con distinto collar." – Nieves, on the similarity between Catholic and Protestant inquisitions ([06:01]).
• Sarcasm and modern relevance:
  "Que te diga como si se creen que con un póster de las Kardashian entran al cielo, a mí me da igual." – Nieves ([04:08])
• Accusation of historical and contemporary hypocrisy:
  "A esto deberían darle una pensada los católicos y los fans como Ayuso, Feijóo, Abascal, Borjamari, Cuca, Gamarra, tan empáticos con los actuales genocidas judíos porque todos... estarían vociferando y celebrando la ejecución..." – Nieves ([06:37])
• Vivid narrative voice, on the ceremonial process:
  "En la plaza de San Francisco... se elevaron dos grandes escenarios muy teatrales, con graderíos para las primeras autoridades, inquisidores, alguaciles..." ([12:15])
• Sharp closing comment:
  "Los enfermos morbosos son ellos, antes y ahora. Y el que esté pensando en la chorrada del presentismo, a pastar por ahí." – Nieves ([13:57])

Important Segments & Timestamps

• [01:17] – Atmospheric depiction of Sevilla on the day of the auto de fe
• [03:18] – Explanation of the Inquisition’s role; impact on the populace
• [05:26] – Discussion on the shift from persecution of Jews to Protestants
• [08:16] – Who were the condemned? Details on the elite and intellectuals among the victims
• [11:12] – Parallels between the processions of the auto de fe and contemporary Semana Santa
• [13:37] – Final description of the executions and mass participation

Conclusion

This gripping episode exposes the violent theatricality of Spain's religious history, using dark humor and direct analogies to both past and present. Through vivid description, pointed critique, and evidence of how public spectacles served as both social glue and moral propaganda, Nieves Concostrina compels listeners to reassess the celebratory myths around faith, tradition, and history.

"Me ha quedado mal cuerpo." – B ([14:14])
"Pues fíjate lo que hacían y lo que estarían dispuestos a volver a hacer." – Nieves ([14:16])