The Voto de Santiago was an offering rendered by the Christian kingdoms of

Asturias Asturias (, ; ast, Asturies ), officially the Principality of Asturias ( es, Principado de Asturias; ast, Principáu d'Asturies; Galician-Asturian: ''Principao d'Asturias''), is an autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in nor ...

, Galicia, León and Castille to Saint James and his

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...

Santiago de Compostella Santiago de Compostela is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia, in northwestern Spain. The city has its origin in the shrine of Saint James the Great, now the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, as the destination of the Way of St. ...

in thanks for the saint's miraculous intervention, which they believed had enabled them to win the legendary

battle of Clavijo The Battle of Clavijo is a mythical battle, which was believed for centuries to be historical, and it became a popular theme of Spanish traditions regarding the Christian expulsion of the Muslims. The stories about the battle are first found centu ...

against the Moors. The battle had resulted from his refusal to pay the Tribute of 100 Damsels to the

Emirate of Córdoba The Emirate of Córdoba ( ar, إمارة قرطبة, ) was a medieval Islamic kingdom in the Iberian Peninsula. Its founding in the mid-eighth century would mark the beginning of seven hundred years of Muslim rule in what is now Spain and Port ...

. This was vowed to James before the battle by

Ramiro I of Asturias Ramiro I (c. 790 – 1 February 850) was king of Kingdom of Asturias, Asturias (modern-day Spain) from 842 until his death in 850. Son of King Bermudo I of Asturias, Bermudo I, he became king following a succession struggle after his predecessor, ...

Calahorra Calahorra [] ( an, Calagorra, la, Calagurris) is a municipality in the comarca of Rioja Baja, near the border with Navarre on the right bank of the Ebro. During Ancient Rome, Ancient Roman times, Calahorra was a municipium known as ''Calagurris ...

, offering Saint James part of the booty taken from the Moors along with the first fruits and crops from each year's harvest as an

ex voto An ex-voto is a votive offering to a saint or to a divinity; the term is usually restricted to Christian examples. It is given in fulfillment of a vow (hence the Latin term, short for ''ex voto suscepto'', "from the vow made") or in gratitude o ...

. It was then paid for via a special tax. It was renewed and formalised by a national festival in 1643 for his feast day (25 July) by

Philip IV of Spain Philip IV ( es, Felipe, pt, Filipe; 8 April 160517 September 1665), also called the Planet King (Spanish: ''Rey Planeta''), was King of Spain from 1621 to his death and (as Philip III) King of Portugal from 1621 to 1640. Philip is remembered f ...

. It was abolished in 1808 by the

Bayonne Statute The Bayonne Statute ( es, Estatuto de Bayona),Ignacio Fernández Sarasola Biblioteca Virtual Miguel de Cervantes. Retrieved 2010-03-12. also called the Bayonne Constitution () or the Bayonne Charter (), was a constitution or a royal charter () a ...

Bibliography

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External links

One version of the Diploma of Ramiro I
Reconquista Religious oaths 1808 disestablishments in Europe 1800s disestablishments in Spain July observances Santiago de Compostela