Bruja

WITCH (BRUJA) - (CATALINA LAY, SEUI)

They hid in the dark bosom of the peasant world that had given birth to them. They call them “witches”, “mazineres”, “bruxas”, or “encantadoras” in Catalan, “cogas”, and “mayarzas” in Sardinia, they were women who held power, eternity and wisdom of ancient sibyls.
While men were inventing the war, witches in Sardinia were heirs of the ancient goddesses, they learnt and achieved many knowledges.
Someone accused them of collecting remote cults and having learned the secrets of the world, and thus, caused their destruction and erasion.
Thus, sanctioned the Holy Inquisition, a Spanish ecclesiastical institution born in 1478 to combat heresies contrary to Catholic orthodoxy, active in all areas dominated by the Iberian crown Sardinia included.

Catalina Lay, midwife of Seui - a small town in Ogliastra in the centre of Sardinia, was one of the women judged as a witch.
She was found arrested by the archbishop of Cagliari on August 1583.
She was sentenced to witchcraft.
The proclamation of the sentence of conviction took place in Sassari, the city where, since 1563, the inquisitorial court had its seat. Catalina was not alone; eight other women were convicted with her. They were aged between thirty and sixty years, and their names are: Joanna Porcu and Clara Dominicon from Sedini, Antonia Orrù from Escolca, Pasca Serra from Villanovafranca, Catalina Pira from Tertenia, Sebastiana Porru from Gemussi, Catalina Escofera from Cuglieri.

All of them were accused of being sorceresses and devil's worshippers.
They were also accused of preventing procreation, undermining fertility, suppressing fetuses and newborns, and pretending to immolate them to the devil.
The hunt for superstitions and sacrileges had particularly affected women in Sardinia: 84% were female.
The all witches had to be denounced, found and publicly pointed out guilty of seizing divine authority.
The midwives were immediately persecuted because, according to the "Malleus Maleficarum" manual of demonology, they were the leading advocates of the most severe heresies, such as being slaves of the devil.
Those women, in Sardinian called “levadoras, aggiutadoras or maistas‘e partu", were experts who helped give birth with their skills and knowledge.

Due to the high infant mortality to which the newborn babies were affected, this particular occupation surrounded these figures with a mysterious aura.

According to popular beliefs, they were respected and feared simultaneously.
Conferred this authority, it was believed they had the power of life and death, giving "sas levadoras" the ability to act on the life cycle.
With their knowledge and the use of herbs and remedies, they were able to provoke the "istrumingiu", abortion, or become "accabadoras" (lit., someone who kills).

This freedom of movement and action came out of the patriarchal guardianship placing them outside the pre-established schemes of the social order, claiming women inside the domestic walls.

Catalina Lay flocked when she was called.
She quickly walked his country's steep slopes and climbed to reach the bedside of the women who had just given birth.
We only know a little about her life, except for a few biographical hints from ancient charts.