Gabriel Malagrida
Encyclopedia
Gabriel Malagrida was an Italian
Jesuit missionary
in Brazil
and influential figure in the political life of the Lisbon Royal Court who described the devastating 1755 Lisbon earthquake
as retribution prompted by God
's wrath.
Malagrida was famously caught up in the Távora affair
and executed as a blasphemer
and heretic
after a Portuguese Inquisition
case to which the Portuguese Prime Minister Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, Marquis of Pombal had his brother appointed as the head Inquisitor following the failure of the original attempt to have him executed on charges of conspiratorial
high treason
, which had earlier been rejected by another Inquisitor and for which he could not be executed by secular authorities due to his position as Jesuit priest.
, and wife Angela Rusca.
He entered the Jesuit order at Genoa
in 1711. He set out from Lisbon in 1721 and arrived on the Island of Maranhão
towards the end of the same year. Thence he proceeded to Brazil. For 28 years he worked for the Christianization of the country.
In 1749 he was sent to Lisbon, where he was received with honour by João V of Portugal. In 1751 he returned to Brazil, but was recalled to Lisbon in 1753 upon the request of Marianna of Austria
, the queen dowager
and mother of José I of Portugal, who had succeeded to the throne upon the death of José's father, João V.
Malagrida's influence influence at the Court of Lisbon met with deep hostility from the prime minister, Carvalho, the future Marquês de Pombal: Carvalho was attempting a proposition to rebuild Lisbon following the 1755 earthquake, but Malagrida was severely hindering progress by terrifying the congregation into believing that the earthquake was divine retribution
. Carvalho persuaded King Jose to banish Malagrida to Setúbal
in November 1756 and had all Jesuits removed from the Court.
from the Palace of the Marquês and Marquesa de Távora in September 1758, three masked horsemen stopped the carriage in the dead of night, and fired a musket-shot that wounded the king in the arm and shoulder. Carvalho's spies quickly identified two of the horsemen, and they were arrested and tortured. Their confessions implicated the Marquês and Marquesa de Távora. Carvalho kept the episode quiet but had the Távora family followed and had their messages intercepted. By December he had uncovered what he believed to be a plot to assassinate the King and replace him with the Duque de Aveiro. Malagrida, who had returned from exile, was arrested and tried for his alleged involvement in the plot.
Gabriel Malagrida was declared guilty of high treason, but could not be executed on account of the Papacy's opposition to the execution of a Jesuit by secular authorities. He was imprisoned in the dungeon beneath the Tower of Belém with other Jesuits who were also Implicated. Carvalho could not have him executed through civil court so left him to either die or go mad in the dungeons.
When Malagrida was not lying in his cell, he was allegedly transcribing the 'angelic
voices from inside his head'. From these heavenly transcriptions, Malagrida was said to have published two transcriptsthe first of which was on the Anti-Christ, the second was entitled The Heroic And Wonderful Life Of The Glorious Saint Anne
, Mother Of The Virgin Mary, Dictated By This Saint, Assisted By And With The Approbation And Help Of This Most August Sovereign, And Her Most Holy Son. The book contained the uttering of a mad man, in which the author had a delirious and unhealthy fixation with Saint Anne's uterus.
Carvalho had the then-seventy-two-year-old Malagrida brought in front of the Inquisition
(to which Carvalho had appointed his brother, Paulo de Carvalho e Mendonça, as the Inquisitor General). Finding the works Malagrida had written blasphemous
and disgusting, they boiled down Malagrida's activities to heresy
, and sentenced him to death. On 21 September 1761, Malagrida was strangled at the garrotte in Rossio square. His corpse was then burned on a bonfire and the ashes were thrown into the Tagus river.
A monument in his honour was erected in 1887 in the parochial church of Menaggio.
Italian people
The Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...
Jesuit missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
and influential figure in the political life of the Lisbon Royal Court who described the devastating 1755 Lisbon earthquake
1755 Lisbon earthquake
The 1755 Lisbon earthquake, also known as the Great Lisbon Earthquake, was a megathrust earthquake that took place on Saturday 1 November 1755, at around 9:40 in the morning. The earthquake was followed by fires and a tsunami, which almost totally destroyed Lisbon in the Kingdom of Portugal, and...
as retribution prompted by God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
's wrath.
Malagrida was famously caught up in the Távora affair
Távora affair
The Távora affair was a political scandal of the 18th century Portuguese court. The events triggered by the attempted murder of King Joseph I of Portugal in 1758 ended with the public execution of the entire Távora family and its closest relatives in 1759...
and executed as a blasphemer
Blasphemer
Blasphemy is the disrespectful use of the name of one or more gods.Blasphemer may also refer to:* "Blasphemer", the stage name of Rune Eriksen, a Norwegian guitarist formerly of the black metal group Mayhem....
and heretic
Heretic
A heretic is a person who commits heresy.In literature:* Heretic, an autobiography of Peter Cameron* Heretic , the third volume in The Grail Quest series by Bernard CornwellIn music:...
after a Portuguese Inquisition
Portuguese Inquisition
The Portuguese Inquisition was formally established in Portugal in 1536 at the request of the King of Portugal, João III. Manuel I had asked for the installation of the Inquisition in 1515 to fulfill the commitment of marriage with Maria of Aragon, but it was only after his death that the Pope...
case to which the Portuguese Prime Minister Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, Marquis of Pombal had his brother appointed as the head Inquisitor following the failure of the original attempt to have him executed on charges of conspiratorial
Conspiracy (crime)
In the criminal law, a conspiracy is an agreement between two or more persons to break the law at some time in the future, and, in some cases, with at least one overt act in furtherance of that agreement...
high treason
High treason
High treason is criminal disloyalty to one's government. Participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplomats, or its secret services for a hostile and foreign power, or attempting to kill its head of state are perhaps...
, which had earlier been rejected by another Inquisitor and for which he could not be executed by secular authorities due to his position as Jesuit priest.
Early life in the Jesuit Order and missionary work
Gabriel Malagrida was the son of Giacomo Malagrida, a doctorPhysician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
, and wife Angela Rusca.
He entered the Jesuit order at Genoa
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
in 1711. He set out from Lisbon in 1721 and arrived on the Island of Maranhão
Maranhão
Maranhão is a northeastern state of Brazil. To the north lies the Atlantic Ocean. Maranhão is neighbored by the states of Piauí, Tocantins and Pará. The people of Maranhão have a distinctive accent...
towards the end of the same year. Thence he proceeded to Brazil. For 28 years he worked for the Christianization of the country.
In 1749 he was sent to Lisbon, where he was received with honour by João V of Portugal. In 1751 he returned to Brazil, but was recalled to Lisbon in 1753 upon the request of Marianna of Austria
Maria Anna of Austria
Archduchess Maria Anna of Austria , was Electress of Bavaria as the spouse of Maximilian I, Elector of Bavaria. She also served as Regent of Bavaria during the minority of her son...
, the queen dowager
Queen Dowager
A queen dowager or dowager queen is a title or status generally held by the widow of a deceased king. In the case of the widow of a deceased emperor, the title of empress dowager is used...
and mother of José I of Portugal, who had succeeded to the throne upon the death of José's father, João V.
Malagrida's influence influence at the Court of Lisbon met with deep hostility from the prime minister, Carvalho, the future Marquês de Pombal: Carvalho was attempting a proposition to rebuild Lisbon following the 1755 earthquake, but Malagrida was severely hindering progress by terrifying the congregation into believing that the earthquake was divine retribution
Divine retribution
Divine retribution is supernatural punishment of a person, a group of people, or all humanity by a deity in response to some human action.Many cultures have a story about how a deity exacted punishment on previous inhabitants of their land, causing their doom.An example of divine retribution is the...
. Carvalho persuaded King Jose to banish Malagrida to Setúbal
Setúbal
Setúbal is the main city in Setúbal Municipality in Portugal with a total area of 172.0 km² and a total population of 118,696 inhabitants in the municipality. The city proper has 89,303 inhabitants....
in November 1756 and had all Jesuits removed from the Court.
The Távora affair
When King José I and his valet Pedro Teixeira were returning to BelémBelém
Belém is a Brazilian city, the capital and largest city of state of Pará, in the country's north region. It is the entrance gate to the Amazon with a busy port, airport and bus/coach station...
from the Palace of the Marquês and Marquesa de Távora in September 1758, three masked horsemen stopped the carriage in the dead of night, and fired a musket-shot that wounded the king in the arm and shoulder. Carvalho's spies quickly identified two of the horsemen, and they were arrested and tortured. Their confessions implicated the Marquês and Marquesa de Távora. Carvalho kept the episode quiet but had the Távora family followed and had their messages intercepted. By December he had uncovered what he believed to be a plot to assassinate the King and replace him with the Duque de Aveiro. Malagrida, who had returned from exile, was arrested and tried for his alleged involvement in the plot.
Gabriel Malagrida was declared guilty of high treason, but could not be executed on account of the Papacy's opposition to the execution of a Jesuit by secular authorities. He was imprisoned in the dungeon beneath the Tower of Belém with other Jesuits who were also Implicated. Carvalho could not have him executed through civil court so left him to either die or go mad in the dungeons.
When Malagrida was not lying in his cell, he was allegedly transcribing the 'angelic
Angelic
The term Angelic may refer to:* Angel, a supernatural being* Angelic, a UK dance band featuring Darren Tate, Judge Jules and Jules's wife, Amanda O'Riordan.* Angelic acid, an organic compound* Angelic de Grimoard, brother of Pope Urban V...
voices from inside his head'. From these heavenly transcriptions, Malagrida was said to have published two transcriptsthe first of which was on the Anti-Christ, the second was entitled The Heroic And Wonderful Life Of The Glorious Saint Anne
Saint Anne
Saint Hanna of David's house and line, was the mother of the Virgin Mary and grandmother of Jesus Christ according to Christian and Islamic tradition. English Anne is derived from Greek rendering of her Hebrew name Hannah...
, Mother Of The Virgin Mary, Dictated By This Saint, Assisted By And With The Approbation And Help Of This Most August Sovereign, And Her Most Holy Son. The book contained the uttering of a mad man, in which the author had a delirious and unhealthy fixation with Saint Anne's uterus.
Carvalho had the then-seventy-two-year-old Malagrida brought in front of the Inquisition
Portuguese Inquisition
The Portuguese Inquisition was formally established in Portugal in 1536 at the request of the King of Portugal, João III. Manuel I had asked for the installation of the Inquisition in 1515 to fulfill the commitment of marriage with Maria of Aragon, but it was only after his death that the Pope...
(to which Carvalho had appointed his brother, Paulo de Carvalho e Mendonça, as the Inquisitor General). Finding the works Malagrida had written blasphemous
Blasphemy
Blasphemy is irreverence towards religious or holy persons or things. Some countries have laws to punish blasphemy, while others have laws to give recourse to those who are offended by blasphemy...
and disgusting, they boiled down Malagrida's activities to heresy
Heresy
Heresy is a controversial or novel change to a system of beliefs, especially a religion, that conflicts with established dogma. It is distinct from apostasy, which is the formal denunciation of one's religion, principles or cause, and blasphemy, which is irreverence toward religion...
, and sentenced him to death. On 21 September 1761, Malagrida was strangled at the garrotte in Rossio square. His corpse was then burned on a bonfire and the ashes were thrown into the Tagus river.
A monument in his honour was erected in 1887 in the parochial church of Menaggio.