Fernando Valdés Salas – Inquisitor, Educator, Fanatic
In the middle of the University of Oviedo‘s courtyard is a statue of its founder, Fernando Valdés Salas. The statue’s expression is fatherly; benevolent but stern. The sense conveyed is that Valdés was a serious educator dedicated to learning, and a kindly, wise man. But a little research reveals that a loathsome monster reigns in the University’s courtyard — rarely does history provide us such exquisitely evil characters as the Archbishop Fernando de Valdés.
Valdés was a heavyweight in the 16th century Catholic hierarchy; a politically-motivated self-promoter who rose to power via the Inquisition. He was named bishop of Oviedo in 1532 and eventually established himself as the Grand Inquisitor, gaining infamy as a particularly fanatical judge with a special hatred for Lutherans. He hated them so much, that he successfully petitioned the pope for permission to burn groups alive on giant bonfires. All in the name of the Church, of course, because that kind of thing is what Jesus loves most.
Massive piles of burning, living flesh; yes, Salas was an inventive thinker! But he did found a University, so he can’t have been all bad, right? On the other hand, he compiled history’s most draconian List of Prohibited Books. His Index Librorum Prohibitorum even included works from venerated Catholic scholars like Saint Francis Borja.
Salas was terrifying. Knowing his history throws a different light on the handsome statue in the University courtyard.
More Fernando Valdés Salas Photos:
Sirs:
I assume that you are neither Roman Catholics nor Christians.
You make numerous slanderous and libelous statements about the late Roman Catholic Archbishop Fernando Valdes-Salas. My family like many families in Florida, New York, California, Texas, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, the rest of Latin America, and Spain itself, descends from the family of Valdes-Salas. We are honored by his memory, by his pro-Church actions, and take offense to your slanderous libel which improperly smears the good name of Archbishop Fernando Valdes-Salas as well as the descendants of the House of Valdes-Salas.
By means of this communication, I hereby demand that you provide irrefutable evidence, admissable in modern courts, that the actions and deeds which you allege were committed by Archbishop Fernando Valdes-Salas in violation of the Laws, government practices, ethical and moral conventions of fifteenth century Europe did indeed take place. I also hereby demand that you SHOW CAUSE as why you should not be held liable for violation of modern U.S., European, and international statutes of LIBEL AND SLANDER. I demand replies from you by June 1, 2011.
LOL!!!! Surely that comment is spam of some type although i cannot work out why. I reckon Valdes Salas would have thrown his own relatives on the Bonfire if he knew that they were using such a heretical tool as the internet to talk about him. Tool of the devil don’t you know. Would love to see this guys browsing history 😉
Either one day late or Jose Antonio has some issues.
I assume Florida listed first is a give away.
JoAn, How do you libel a dead monster? Do you have irrefutable evidence your ancestor was not a pederast goatfucker?
I assume based on the evidence he presented JoAn must be a pederast goat fucker . I demand he present irrefutable evidence, admissable(sic) in modern courts, that he is not a pederast goat fucker.
I demand replies(sic) by June 1, 2011
Pingback: The University of Oviedo | For 91 Days in Oviedo
Pingback: The University of Oviedo - For 91 Days in Oviedo - Travel Blog and Guide