El clero liberal de la diócesis compostelana durante la primera mitad del siglo XIX: análisis e interpretación de un fenómeno peculiar

Abstract

The traditional view of a Galician clergy who is massively committed to the absolutist cause should by no means hide the existence of a small, though active group, who apart from professing an open liberalism will play a major role in the dissemination of new approaches. Taking into account the diocesan clergy of Santiago, this fact, apart from telling us about a certain ideological diversification, becomes valuable evidence of the impact these new ideas will have on its members. Fear of reprisals may have prevented a bigger participation or a more intense activity on their side and the former might also account for the fact that it is in periods with a higher level of freedom, such as the years of the Courts of Cadiz or the Liberal Triennium, when their ideas normally come to light and become public.