The Auto-da-Fe

The public sentencing ceremony, called an auto-da-fe, was a staged spectacle lasting entire days. The condemned wore pointed hats and robes painted with flames. They processed through streets while crowds watched, and sentences were read in the central plaza before thousands.

Convicted heretics who repented might receive prison sentences or public penance. Those who refused were "relaxed" to secular authorities for burning. The spectacle served as both public warning and entertainment for the watching crowds.