autos sacramentales

In late 16th-c Spanish literature, one-act plays (autos) performed at the feast of Corpus Christi. Originally confined in theme to the Eucharist, they later dealt allegorically with a variety of subjects but still ending with the ‘discovery’ of a large host and chalice, and finally degenerating into farces. The adjective ‘sacramental’ was first used of autos in the second half of the 16th-c, performed in cities and villages on moveable carts (carros), that were easily converted into stages or dismantled, and pulled by oxen. These carros bore scenic towers from which actors could come on to the stage and to which they could retire. The carts would be aligned before a temporary stage, and beyond this some temporary seating might be erected. The open-air performance of autos sacramentales offered far better scope for visual spectacles (including changes of scene and elaborate machinery) than was possible with plays staged in the corral theatres with their limited facilities and lack of space. As a result of the influence of French taste, autos sacramentales were forbidden by law in 1765, but performances in isolated villages continued (in Valencia as late as 1840).

Autos sacramentales( Spanish auto, "act" or "ordinance";

The auto sacramental may be defined as a dramatic representation of the mystery of the Eucharist. It does not so well fit, however, those of the preceding century, many of which were sacramental in character only because they were presented during the feast of Corpus Christi.

As early as the 13th century religious exhibitions had been popular with the masses in Spain. But it is not until the beginning of the 16th century that we have the first true auto sacramental having for its theme the mystery of the Eucharist. During the 16th and 17th centuries these Autos continued to appear, being gradually improved and elaborated until brought to their highest state of development by Calderón.

The auto sacramental was always presented in the streets in connection with the celebration of the feast of Corpus Christi. In the procession appeared the priests bearing the Host under a splendid canopy, followed by a devout throng, in which, in Madrid, often appeared the king and his court without distinction of rank, and last of all, in beautiful cars, came the actors from the public theatres who were to take part in the performance.

Of the better known writers of this kind of dramatic literature may be mentioned Juan de la Enzina and Gil Vicente, who wrote in the 15th and 16th centuries, while among those who wrote autos when they were at the height of their success was Lope de Vega, who composed no less than four hundred. Among his best are The Harvest and The Wolf turned Shepherd.

Although not as prolific as Lope de Vega, Calderón has left about seventy autos, the best known of which are The Divine Orpheus, a work of considerable poetic merit, The Devotion to the Mass, and The Captivity of the Ark. From time immemorial, allegory of every kind had powerfully appealed to them, and these autos took a strong hold on the popular favour, coming as they did during religious festivals, with their music and their splendour, coupled with the fact that they were given at the public expense and with the sanction of the Catholic church. In 1765, their public representation was forbidden by Charles III, but the habits of centuries could not be so easily overcome, and for many years afterward they continued to be presented in some of the smaller towns.

This article incorporates text from the public-domain Catholic Encyclopedia, so may be out of date, or reflect the point of view of the Catholic Church as of 1913. It should be edited to reflect broader and more recent perspectives.