The religious leader for the group of Spanish nobles that lives in the trees. He’s a Jesuit, which makes Cosimo suspicious of him to begin with. This suspicion quickly proves to be correct and reasonable: Father Sulpicio is a thin, snide, and conniving man who, when he catches wind of the Enlightenment ideas circulating among the nobles (many of which aren’t especially supportive of the power religion has in society), he opens up what he deems a new arm of the Inquisition and attempts to harm El Conde. He does his best to get Cosimo banished. Years later, Cosimo runs into Father Sulpicio and two Jesuit cronies, trying to get into Masonic lodges to presumably shut them down. It’s unknown if Father Sulpicio dies, but Cosimo stabs him in the stomach and he’s never seen again.
Father Sulpicio Quotes in The Baron in the Trees
The The Baron in the Trees quotes below are all either spoken by Father Sulpicio or refer to Father Sulpicio. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Note: all page numbers and citation info for the quotes below refer to the Mariner edition of The Baron in the Trees published in 2017.
Chapter 18
Quotes
And there, with naive youthful fervor, he explained the ideas of the philosophers and the wrongs of sovereigns and how states could be governed according to reason and justice.
Related Characters:
Biagio Piovasco di Rondò (speaker), Cosimo Piovasco di Rondò, Father Sulpicio, Frederico Alonso Sanchez, El Conde, King Carlos III
Related Symbols:
Ombrosa’s Native Trees
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
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Father Sulpicio Character Timeline in The Baron in the Trees
The timeline below shows where the character Father Sulpicio appears in The Baron in the Trees. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 17
...identifies the man who looks like he’s in charge, Frederico Alonso Sanchez, and introduces himself. Father Sulpicio , a lanky man in black robes, translates. Don Frederico is in awe that Cosimo...
(full context)
Cosimo peppers Father Sulpicio , a Jesuit, with questions about how the Spaniards live in the trees. He’s cagey...
(full context)
Father Sulpicio introduces Cosimo to an old man named El Conde. El Conde continually looks at a...
(full context)
Chapter 18
...can follow, however. Gradually, El Conde decides he wants to read philosophers’ books. Unbeknownst to Father Sulpicio , some others ask Cosimo for a novel so they can read the sexy passages....
(full context)
One night, Cosimo wakes to the sound of someone crying. He discovers Father Sulpicio tying El Conde to a tree. Father Sulpicio announces that this is part of the...
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One day, Don Frederico summons Cosimo. With Father Sulpicio next to him, he asks Cosimo’s age—21—and much to everyone’s surprise and displeasure, insinuates that...
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Chapter 25
...a secret society, which causes the man in the hat to raise his head. It’s Father Sulpicio .
(full context)
Father Sulpicio announces himself as a Jesuit, Cosimo announces himself as a Freemason, and the two Spaniards...
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...lack of a proper lodge and insists on sending money to build one. Cosimo unmasks Father Sulpicio after the lodge is built. Biagio suspects that Cosimo was aware that he couldn’t continue...
(full context)