In 1724, in Palermo, the public Act of Faith, or “auto de fe'”, was celebrated. This solemn moment, in which the condemnation or penance inflicted by the Holy Office was publicly carried out, was one of the last celebrated by the Inquisition in Sicily. In fact, it dates from shortly before the suppression of the Holy Tribunal on 16 March 1782 by the Viceroy Domenico Caracciolo. The public Act of Faith, involving the entire Sicilian society, took place through the staging of a ‘theatre’ in the Piazza della Cattedrale and a second ‘theatre’ on the Sant’Erasmo level.
