Mulheres e Santidade fingida no Portugal Moderno as Mazedas do Beatério do Padre Couceiro

The inquisitors, when investigating crimes of simulation of sanctity, leaned toward the assumption that women were naturally shallow and seekers of good opinion. Due to the general belief in this alleged susceptibility of them, the inquisitors had special attention in order to determine if those women were driven by the desire of fame, which could be obtained through the simulation of divine favors. Although prestige was an important motivator, it was not the only one. Cases like Maria Mazeda’s and Guiomar Mazeda’s show us the complexity of the phenomenon of sanctity and allow us to infer that simulation could be more than a pursuit of notoriety, even a survival strategy.