among the main targets of the inquisition were also the portuguese christian traditions and movements that were not perceived as orthodox. the millenarian and national feast of the cult of the empire of the holy spirit, dating from the mid 13th century, spread throughout all mainland portugal from then into the 14th century. in the following centuries it spread throughout portugal's atlantic islands and empire, where it was the main target of prohibition and surveillance by the inquisition after the 1540s, since it had almost disappeared from continental portugal and india. this spiritual tradition, practiced exclusively by non-religious officials and popular "brotherhoods" in the middle ages and following centuries, was gradually restored only after the second half of the 20th century in some municipalities of mainland portugal. by then, except for a few faithful and accurate local traditions, it had undergone major deletions and changes (in what remained or was restored) of the ancient rituals.