A Modern Witchcraft Accusation: The 1933 Burning of Arminda de Jesus in Soalhaes, Portugal with Inês Tadeu

In February 1933, while the world was entering the age of radio and automobiles, individuals from the town of Soalhaes, Portugal burned a woman accused of witchcraft. The victim was Arminda de Jesus, a 32-year-old mother of two children, known locally for her kindness and for helping her troubled neighbor. That same neighbor would accuse her of witchcraft, leading to an exorcism ritual that spiraled tragically out of control and ended in Arminda’s death. Through meticulous research in Portuguese archives, Dr. Inês Tadeu from the University of Madeira has reconstructed this forgotten case using trial records and newspaper accounts. She joins us to discuss how witchcraft beliefs persisted into the twentieth century, and why some communities still struggle to confront these dark aspects of our humanity. Together, we explore how a simple accusation of witchcraft could end in murder in 1930s Europe, and why Arminda’s story remained buried for so long.

Transcript