Festival of the Exconxuraos

The “Exconxuraos” of Llanera commemorate a historical event that took place in the municipality a long time ago, and which the residents of this central Asturian town began to celebrate again just over a decade ago.

Around the year 1408 – although we cannot pinpoint the exact date – the residents of the municipality of Llanera, subject to the jurisdictional authority of the Bishopric of Oviedo, tired of enduring the “grievances and injustices” they suffered “at the hands of certain commanders of Don Guillén”, the bishop at the time, declared themselves in open rebellion against his authority. As a result, the severe canonical penalties typical of such cases were imposed upon them, with a sentence of excommunication and interdict being pronounced upon the inhabitants of the rebellious council and its entire territory. The people of Llanera, disregarding the coercion, stood their ground, steadfastly maintaining their defiance for a period of four years. The church bells of the council fell silent. For four years, their doors were to remain closed, and the clergy who served them were to cease celebrating Sunday services there and carrying out their pastoral duties towards their parishioners, who were deprived of the Church’s consoling last rites and the right to a church burial.

On 17 February 1412, Don Guillén died in Oviedo. Shortly afterwards, in June of the same year, Diego Ramírez de Guzmán, a native of León, was appointed to the see of Oviedo. On 26 June, the Dean and the chapter of the Church of Oviedo met and conferred full powers upon Alvar Fernández, Archdeacon of Tineo; Alvar Pérez, cantor; and Alvar Fernández, canon and bachelor of decrees, so that, on their behalf and “with the counsel and agreement” of the Vicar General of the new prelate, in the spiritual and temporal administration of the Church and the Bishopric of Oviedo, they might implement measures aimed at putting an end to the existing tensions between the Bishop, the Dean and the chapter, on the one hand, and “all the noblemen and freeholders residing in the municipality of Llanera” on the other. Two days after the chapter assembly, on Wednesday 27 July, in the presence of several notaries and representatives of the local nobility, following a formal summons by their mayor, the “honourable men of noble birth and freeholders of Llanera” gathered in council at Posada – the geographical centre of the territory – to return to obedience to Don Diego and his Church. The Council appointed its representative, Juan Fernández, to solemnly declare, on behalf of all, before the delegates of the authorities attending the ceremony, this firm resolution and the promise never again to rebel against their lords “in the matters in question”.

Once the council’s representative had carried out this task, the local assembly asked the episcopal delegate present there to absolve them of the sentences of excommunication to which they were subject, to lift the interdict weighing upon the entire territory, and “to remit to them any penalties, slanders, sacrileges and charges of treason to which they had fallen for the said reason”.

In response to these requests, the provisor and vicar-general of Don Diego, together with the representatives of the Dean and the chapter, displayed a generous and conciliatory attitude towards the rebels, which was manifested through a threefold declaration of intent… they lifted the penalties to which they had been subjected; they were ordered that, “as a sign of penance”, they should choose from among themselves thirty good men, twenty noblemen and ten commoners, to go on a feast day to the Church of San Salvador in Oviedo, taking part “in its procession barefoot, clad in sackcloth or doublets with no other covering, each with a rope tied round their waist and a candle in their hands”, with the bishop’s provisor solemnly undertaking to absolve them of the penalties of excommunication and to lift the interdict imposed on the council once this public penitential humiliation had been carried out.

The festival is held on the first weekend of July and has become the festival of Llanera and its people, as it serves to bring all the residents together and foster a sense of fellowship, just as their ancestors did in days gone by.

The “Exconxuraos” are held at the Llanera fairground, where activities and shows take place throughout the weekend, designed to create an atmosphere that immerses visitors in the medieval era. A variety of banners, pennants, coats of arms, warriors, jesters, knights, musicians and more add colour to this medieval festival, which has become a landmark event not only at a regional level, but also nationally.