Exconxuraos Festival

The "Exconxuraos" of Llanera commemorate a historical event that took place in the municipality a long time ago, and its commemoration was revived by the residents of this central Asturian town just over a decade ago.

Around the year 1408, without being able to pinpoint the exact date, the residents of the municipality of Llanera, under the jurisdiction of the Episcopal See of Oviedo, tired of enduring the "aggravios e sinrazones" (grievances and injustices) inflicted upon them "by some commanders of Don Guillén," the bishop at the time, openly rebelled against his authority. As a consequence, they were subjected to the severe canonical penalties typical of such cases, with a sentence of excommunication and interdict pronounced upon the inhabitants of the rebellious municipality and its entire territory. The bells of the churches in the municipality fell silent. For four years, their doors remained closed, and the clergy who served them ceased to conduct Sunday services and provide spiritual care to their parishioners, deprived of the consoling final blessing of the Church and the right to receive ecclesiastical burial.

On February 17, 1412, Don Guillén passed away in Oviedo. Shortly thereafter, in June of the same year, Diego Ramírez de Guzmán, a Leonese, was appointed as the Bishop of Oviedo. On June 26, the Dean and the chapter of the Oviedo Church conferred full powers upon Alvar Fernández, the archdeacon of Tineo, Alvar Pérez, the precentor, and Alvar Fernández, a canon and bachelor of decrees, so that, on behalf of the new prelate's general vicar, they could adopt measures aimed at ending the existing tensions between the bishop, the Dean, and the chapter on one side, and "all the noble and free men residing in the municipality of Llanera" on the other. Two days after the chapter meeting, on Wednesday, July 27, in the presence of several notaries and representatives of the local nobility, following a formal summons by their mayor, the "omes bonos fillosdalgo e foreros de Llanera" gathered in the town of Posada – the geographical center of the territory – to return to the obedience of Don Diego and his Church. The municipality appointed its representative, Juan Fernández, to solemnly declare on behalf of all of them, before the attending delegates of authority, their firm resolution and the promise not to rebel again in the future against their lords "in the said matters."

Once the municipal representative completed this task, the assembly of residents requested from the present episcopal delegate that they be absolved of the sentences of excommunication under which they fell, that the interdict weighing upon the entire territory be lifted, and that "any penalties, calumnies, sacrileges, and charges that had befallen them for the aforementioned reasons" be remitted.

In response to these requests, the provisor and general vicar of Don Diego, along with the procurators of the Dean and the chapter, displayed a generous conciliatory attitude toward the rebels, which manifested itself through a triple declaration of intent... they lifted the penalties they had incurred and ordered them, "as a sign of penitence," to choose thirty good men among them, twenty nobles and ten commoners, to attend a festive day at the Church of San Salvador in Oviedo/Uviéu, participating "in its procession barefoot, wearing sacks or doublets without any other covering, with ropes tied around them and candles in their hands." The provisor of the bishop solemnly pledged to absolve them from the penalties of excommunication and lift the interdict imposed on the municipality once this public penitential humiliation was fulfilled.

The festival takes place on the first weekend of July and has become the festival of Llanera and its residents, as it serves as a union and fraternal gathering for all the neighbors, just as their ancestors did.

The "Exconxuraos" are celebrated in the Llanera fairgrounds, where various activities and shows take place throughout the weekend, aiming to create an atmosphere that immerses the visitor in the medieval era. Different ribbons, banners, shields, warriors, jesters, knights, musicians, and more bring color to this medieval festival, which has become a reference not only at the regional level but also nationally.

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