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SPIRITUAL CURRENTS IN SPAIN OF THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY

The María Cristina Masaveu Peterson Foundation presents “Spiritual Currents in Spain of the eighteenth century”. The Bishop of Oviedo Fernandez de Toro an exhaustive research book by Doctor Juan Jose Tuñón Escalada -Abad de Covadonga and consummate specialist of Asturian socio-religious historiography- which, through more than 800 pages, contains a complete study On the figure of the bishop of Oviedo Fernandez de Toro and the panorama of the spiritual currents of Spain during the century of the lights.

The exhaustive research carried out by Doctor Don Juan José Tuñón has made it possible to recover from oblivion a fundamental figure to understand the future of Asturian ecclesiastical history: Bishop Fernández de Toro, prelate of the Ottoman diocese during the first quarter of the 18th century, which has gone down in history because it is one of the few bishops firmly condemned by the Inquisition, made even more singular if we consider its status as an inquisitorial judge rather than a convict.

As stated in the title of the publication, Spiritual Currents in Spain of the eighteenth century. The bishop of Oviedo Fernández de Toro, this study surpasses the simple study of the figure of the bishop and his cause to delve into the knowledge of the spiritual currents of the Age of Enlightenment in Spain, analyzing the context to be able to get closer to understanding the way More objectively possible the historical fact analyzed. An amusing but at the same time exhaustive reading, which not only analyzes the inquisitorial process to which the prelate was subjected, but also in the study of the political, ecclesiastical, social and cultural panorama of eighteenth-century Spain.

This text, which has a prologue by Professor Maximiliano Barrio Gozalo, is accompanied by an exquisite selection of images -many of them from the Masaveu Collection- that allow us to contextualize the study.

In the words of Professor Maximiliano Barrio: “This is a research book, which offers dense information, but clear ideas, which the reader will discover as he enters his reading. In short, it is a work of great value and scientific interest. It rests in a solid erudition and is distinguished by the elegance of its workmanship. The composition is clear, precise expression and of great literary value. Although it moves in different fields of history, it acts more deeply in the history of ideas and of theology. It takes into account the new historiographical tendencies, but it does not let itself be enslaved by the fashion. He appeals to sociology and politics, but prefers intellectual and religious history, based on the search for truth and fidelity to the written document. “