The Perseverance of Baroque Rituals and Religious Practices Sacralisation of Attitudes towards Death in Castile

Abstract

The implementation of the decrees of the Council of Trent brought about significant changes in the religious rituals. These emerged first in Spain, but were later on passed onto the overseas territories under Spanish control. Some of these rituals were performed continuously throughout ages – especially among the rural communities – and they were subject to gradual modifications by each generation of believers. In the 19^th century, many of the Spanish and American funeral rituals still betrayed their Tridentine roots. Up until the turn of the 20^th century, forms of folk piety had preserved the spectacular theatrical nature of the funeral as well as of other religious rituals related to death.