auto-da-fé

An auto-da-fé or auto-de-fé (from Portuguese auto da fé, meaning "act of faith") was the ritual of public penance of condemned heretics and apostates that took place when the Spanish Inquisition, Portuguese Inquisition or the Mexican Inquisition had decided their punishment, followed by the execution by the civil authorities of the sentences imposed.

Auto Da Fé were an Irish new wave musical group formed in the Netherlands in 1980 (but mainly active in Ireland) by former Steeleye Span singer Gay Woods and Trevor Knight. The band's sound incorporated keyboards and electronics. Woods stated "It was the happiest musical time I ever had so far. I learned so much. I was ridding myself of a lot of things that stifled me. It was so liberating for me to stand up and not be a "folky" anymore. It was the easiest thing in the world because I had yearned for so long to do that music. I still love the songs I wrote at the time".

Auto da Fé (original title Die Blendung, "The Blinding") is a 1935 novel by Elias Canetti; the title of the English translation (by C. V. Wedgwood, 1946) refers to the burning of heretics by the Inquisition.

An auto-da-fé (or auto da fé or auto de fe) is a Roman Catholic church ritual which became associated with its use during the Spanish Inquisition.