Sahagún

Before the medieval foundation, in the vicinity of Sahagún stood the Roman way-station of Camala, on the Via I linking Legio with Italy. This town began near a monastery dedicated to the saints Facundo and Primitivo. These saints were children of San Marcelo and Santa Nonia, and had ten martyred siblings. They were Roman soldiers who converted to Christianity and suffered persecution and martyrdom, being thrown into the Cea river. Followers of the faith gathered their bodies and built a primitive sanctuary (Domnos Sanctos) in honour of both, before the 9th century. This site was destroyed several times by the Moors, and after its reconstruction and the founding of the Royal Monastery of San Benito, King Alfonso III the Great handed it over in the year 872 to monks from Córdoba, who revitalised monastic life there.

In 1085, Alfonso VI granted a charter to what was then the town of San Facundo. The monastery grew stronger in the 11th century, especially during the reign of Alfonso VI.

After being defeated by his elder brother Sancho, Alfonso VI was forced to join the Benedictine order at the Monastery, thanks to the intervention of his sister Urraca. Later, Alfonso VI fled the monastery and took refuge in Toledo, which at the time was under the rule of Al-Mu’tamid. After Sancho’s death during the siege of Zamora, where Urraca resided, Alfonso managed to become king of the three kingdoms. Later, after marrying Constance of Burgundy, Alfonso VI may have decided to establish the Roman rite on the Iberian Peninsula (instead of the Hispanic rite), as suggested by the rising Order of Cluny. This new rite was fully established in the year 1081 under Abbot Bernard, who came from France and was appointed Archbishop of Toledo by the Pope in 1086, Toledo being the primatial see of Hispania.

On 25 November 1085, Alfonso VI granted the Abbot and the town an advantageous charter, with laws and exemptions for those who wished to settle in the new town of San Facundo. This led to notable growth of both the monastery and the town; its importance became such that it came to be called the “Spanish Cluny”, under whose influence one of the most prominent boroughs of the Late Middle Ages in Spain was formed.

The town became a notable cultural centre, where men of various races and cultures lived side by side, from Frankish and other foreign merchants to Mudejars and Jews. At times, tensions between different social groups, such as burghers and craftsmen, led to conflicts. The protests of the burghers of San Facundo against abusive abbatial power are emblematic in the Kingdom of León, both for their significance and for the information available about them.

The 12th century marked the height of both the town and the monastery. Some of the most notable events of this period are recorded in the Anonymous Chronicles, the first covering from the founding until 1117, and the second recounting the burgher revolts that took place between 1237 and 1255.

Among the most significant milestones mentioned is the grant to the burghers, by Abbot Don Diego (1087-1110), of a privilege allowing them to build a wall around the town, as well as the right to mint coinage, at least from 1116.

Burghers of various trades and origins gathered in the town, such as blacksmiths, carpenters, tailors, furriers, shoemakers, sculptors, as well as individuals versed in various arts and crafts, and also people from various foreign provinces and kingdoms, such as Gascons, Burgundians, English, Germans, Normans, Lombards, and many other traders of various foreign nations and languages. In this way, King Alfonso populated the town and turned it into a place of considerable standing.

Over time, the importance of the monastery grew, extending its influence over almost a hundred monasteries, convents, and churches, from the Cantabrian coast to the province of Segovia.

Furthermore, thanks to Clement VI, in 1347 the monastery was granted the privilege of having its own university. Sahagún had a university college (sometimes confused with a university) by a bull of Benedict XIII in August 1403. The University as an institution was established by a papal bull of Clement VII in May 1534, offering programmes in Liberal Arts, Theology, Canon Law, and a chair of music; although, due to infrastructure issues, it did not begin operating until the 1570s. In December 1616 it was moved to the Benedictine monastery of Santa María la Real de Irache (Navarra), by a bull of Paul V in December 1615. Its importance reached such a point that it exchanged honours with the University of Salamanca and sent professors to the University of Alcalá.

The initial population of Sahagún did not fall below 8,000. It was called a town, not a city, because it was a non-episcopal jurisdiction, although barely 50 years after its founding charter it is estimated to have had 12,000 inhabitants.

Over the centuries, the decline of Sahagún and its monastery was gradual, worsened by the Mendizábal disentailment, which practically ended the religious component of the town that had existed since the time of Alfonso VI.

In 1808, during the Peninsular War, the Battle of Sahagún took place near the town, pitting British and French cavalry against each other, resulting in a British victory. In 2008 the battle’s second centenary was commemorated with a symbolic re-enactment performed by actors.

In the 20th century, Sahagún was the second town to proclaim the Second Republic, in the early hours of 13-14 April 1931, an event for which it received the title of “Muy Ejemplar Ciudad” (Most Exemplary City) from the republican government.