The Structure of the Inquisition in Venice

When Domenico Scalabrin, whom we met in the previous chapter, denounced Marina Fachinetti for having sickened his wife, he kicked off a series of judicial events that followed detailed rules of procedure – inquisition trials were no haphazard affairs. The Holy Office tribunal to which Scalabrin submitted his denunciation not only had available to it large books filled with Latin legalese to remind its members of their duties, but it also had a group of powerful cardinals in Rome overseeing its activities and those of its sister institutions in other cities. And in Venice, the tribunal also included ex officio members of the Venetian civil government whose cooperation was essential for the smooth operation of the Inquisition in the city and its environs. But the vigor – and procedural rigor – of the Venetian Inquisition was a relatively recent development when Scalabrin submitted his complaint in 1625, despite the fact that inquisitions had been in operation for several centuries.