Voci prigioniere. Carcerati e graffiti nelle prigioni del Sant’Uffizio in Umbria e Sicilia

The dissertation explores a hitherto little investigated aspect of the tribunals of the Holy Office: the prisons. Addressing a gap in both early modern Inquisitions studies and prison studies, this thesis combines sources of different types and aims at moving beyond a perspective “from above” (Spierenburg 1999; De Vito 2009; Gibson 2021) in order to approach prison history through prisoners' histories. Inquisitorial prisons are thus examined through a cross-analysis of archival sources (trials, letters, economic records...) and "in situ" traces: graffiti. Considering institutional, jurisdictional, and social differences, the thesis focuses on the Spanish Inquisition prisons in Palermo and the Holy Office prisons in Umbria (Spoleto and Narni). In addition, given the current status of many former carceral sites, the last chapter of this thesis deals with their musealization process.