When religious traditions are analysed, it is observed that in almost all religious traditions, there are some groups that often manifest themselves with contradictory thoughts and acceptances against the party representing the orthodox belief. Although the reasons for the emergence of these movements, which are called "heretics" in modern literature, vary, it is possible to state that they sometimes arise from religious practices and sometimes from disagreements related to belief. The heresy sometimes manifests itself in the mystical sphere of religions, and Christianity has a long tradition in this area when it comes to "heresy". Although there are significant differences between different denominations of Christianity, it can be said that the Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant churches represent the tradition in terms of religious doctrine (e.g. the Trinity) in Christianity. When we evaluate the history, it is possible to mention the existence of many movements, large and small, that oppose this tradition.Los Alumbrados, who constitutes the subject of this article, is one of the heretical groups in the history of Christianity and is a mystically inclined movement that emerged in Spain in the 16th century. The supporters of this movement believe that human souls who have reached a certain degree of perfection have divine vision and that these perfect souls can directly communicate with the Holy Spirit. Those who have divine vision and light do not have to observe liturgical practices and rituals of the external forms of religious life, such as worship. Los Alumbrados caused the Spanish Catholic Inquisition a great deal of discomfort because the Church did not want this movement to influence people with "heretical" ideas. Therefore, the Inquisition intervened and Los Alumbrados, like many other heretical Christian groups, was erased from history by force.Because the doctrines they advocated were quite divergent from traditional Christian theology, the Spanish Inquisition court of the time issued three different edicts against this group. The most prominent theological approach of the movement is that the human soul, which has reached a certain degree of perfection, can come into unmediated contact with the Holy Spirit and that such people do not need to perform religious ceremonies and rituals. According to this group, veneration of saints is a distraction, and even to accept Jesus Christ as a mediator would mean putting an unnecessary distance between oneself and the Creator. The followers of Los Alumbrados describe themselves as devoted to the love of God and believe that they have an enlightened soul. According to them, the mind needs to be cleansed of all thoughts or memories. One should not endeavour in any way to prevent what God plans to do for him. Even the contemplation of Jesus Christ can hinder being annihilated within God. One should reject all thoughts presented to him, even if they are good thoughts, because the mind must only seek God. Different approaches have been proposed as to the origin of these beliefs and mystical orientations of Los Alumbrados, which departed from tradition. The most convincing approach is the thesis that they have an Islamic origin.The first quarter of the 16th century was a period of some spiritual problems in Spain, as in other parts of Europe. In this process, movements that incorporated various different concepts emerged. Los Alumbrados was one of them, and this movement, like many others, was not able to free itself from the dogmatic definitions imposed by the Reformation and the Council of Trent. The most important features that distinguish Los Alumbrados from the other dissenting groups are the fact that it is a movement characterised by a female identity and that it adopts some religious discourses that were not common at the time. This is actually an indication of the vitality of religious life in Spain at that time and the authority of women in spiritual life. However, one should not forget the struggle of the inquisitors to define the limits of the orthodox belief. In the struggle against heretical groups, the most important supporter of the Church was once again the Inquisition courts.It is also important to distinguish between the values that Los Alumbrados actually taught and how their teachings were presented by the inquisitors. The heretical approaches adopted by them were largely due to the hybrid nature of the movement and the different components that constituted it. On the one hand, it has mystical elements at its core, since it is rooted in the methods followed by the Franciscans, who sought a shortcut to reach God both in the monastery and in the world. On the other hand, it has similar characteristics to other Christians who have adopted classical rituals. Their criticism of the Catholic Church, their recommendation to read the New Testament intensively and their emphasis on the sinfulness of the human soul, which is a very typical belief in evangelical movements, are in fact the most concrete indication that the movement was directly linked to the spirit of its time. Even if their doctrines sometimes appear contradictory, there is no doubt about the evangelical aspirations of the Los Alumbrados pioneers. Their heterodoxy seems to have been the result of extreme asceticism, rather than of a sharp antagonism towards Catholicism. Nevertheless, it is a fact that they gradually moved away from the "orthodox" teaching of the Church, believing that they could not sin and performing religious rites only among themselves to fulfil their religious obligations.When the relevant literature was investigated, it was determined that no previous study on the subject had been conducted in our country (Turkiye). The most important study on Los Alumbrados is the book written by Alastair Hamilton in 1992, Heresy and Mysticism in Sixteenth-Century Spain: The Alumbrados. The aforementioned research has taken its place among the important sources of this article. An examination of Hamilton's book reveals a thorough treatment of the subject. The most important factor in the emergence of this article is to fill the gap in the Turkish literature on the subject by focusing on the mystical orientation of Los Alumbrados. This article is an attempt to identify the theological views and mystical understanding of the group which resulted in its prosecution as heretical and to describe how and which traditional doctrines it adopted. Furthermore, the article also analyses the movement's view of religious rituals and their impact on the history of Christianity.
