Sahagún () is a town and municipality of

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

, part of the autonomous community of Castile and León and the

province of León León (, , ; ; ) is a province of northwestern Spain in the northern part of the Region of León and in the northwestern part of the autonomous community of Castile and León. About one quarter of its population of 463,746 (2018) lives in the ca ...

. It is the main populated place in the Leonese part of the

Tierra de Campos Tierra de Campos ("Land of Fields") is a large historical and natural region or greater comarca that straddles the provinces of León, Zamora, Valladolid and Palencia, in Castile and León, Spain. It is a vast, desolate plain with practically ...

natural region. Sahagún contains some of the earliest examples of the mudéjar architecture. It lies on the Way of St. James and is often considered the half-way point between St. Jean Pied de Port and Santiago de Compostela. The Battle of Sahagún was a notable victory by the British light cavalry against their more numerous French adversaries in

1808 Events January–March * January 1 ** The importation of slaves into the United States is banned, as the 1807 Act Prohibiting Importation of Slaves takes effect; African slaves continue to be imported into Cuba, and until the island ab ...

. The first settlement on the site grew up around the nearby

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

monastery consecrated to the saints Facundus and Primitivus. The name ''Sahagún'' is thought to derive from an abbreviation and variation on the name ''San Fagun'' ("Saint Facundus").

Villages

Arenillas de Valderaduey, Celada de Cea, Galleguillos de Campos,

Joara Joara was a large Native American settlement, a regional chiefdom of the Mississippian culture, located in what is now Burke County, North Carolina, about 300 miles from the Atlantic coast in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Joara is n ...

, Riosequillo, Sahagún, San Martín de la Cueza, San Pedro de las Dueñas, Sotillo de Cea, Villalebrín and Villalmán.

Monastery

The monastery acquired importance during the reign of Alfonso III de Asturias, and reached its greatest splendor during the reign of

Alfonso VI of Castile Alphons (Latinized ''Alphonsus'', ''Adelphonsus'', or ''Adefonsus'') is a male given name recorded from the 8th century (Alfonso I of Asturias, r. 739–757) in the Christian successor states of the Visigothic kingdom in the Iberian peninsula. ...

. On November 25, 1085, this latter king promulgated the edicts known as the Fuero de Sahagún, which gave a number of privileges to the Monastery and town, fomenting its growth. The king favoured the

Cluniac The Cluniac Reforms (also called the Benedictine Reform) were a series of changes within medieval monasticism of the Western Church focused on restoring the traditional monastic life, encouraging art, and caring for the poor. The movement began wi ...

order and the monastery was known as the "Spanish

Cluny Cluny () is a commune in the eastern French department of Saône-et-Loire, in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. It is northwest of Mâcon. The town grew up around the Benedictine Abbey of Cluny, founded by Duke William I of Aquitaine in ...

". Friction often erupted into disputes between the townsfolk and the monastery in the mid-12th century, as recorded in the '' Crónicas anónimas de Sahagún''. The monastery was very important on the pilgrimage route to

Santiago de Compostela 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 S ...

, and in the 14th century housed a University (see also

List of early modern universities in Europe The list of early modern universities in Europe comprises all universities that existed in the early modern age (1501–1800) in Europe. It also includes short-lived foundations and educational institutions whose university status is a matter o ...

). In the 19th century, the monastery was disbanded and the structure nearly completely razed.

Notable residents

Bernardino de Sahagún Bernardino de Sahagún, OFM (; – 5 February 1590) was a Franciscan friar, missionary priest and pioneering ethnographer who participated in the Catholic evangelization of colonial New Spain (now Mexico). Born in Sahagún, Spain, in 1499, ...

* St. John of Sahagún

Popular culture

The Dungeons & Dragons monster sahuagin is inspired by Sahagún. The designer Steve Marsh was a Latter-day Saints missionary at the time, and he noticed

's name in a LDS publication, and modified that to serve as the monster's name.

External links

IX Centenary of Leon-Castilla's King Alfonso VI

Sahagun's History webpage

Sahagun's townhall webpage

Gallery

File:PuenteCeaSahagún.jpg, Roman bridge File:Sahagun - Arco de San Benito 2.jpg, Arch of San Benito File:Sahagun - Capilla de San Mancio 1.jpg, Chapel of San Mancio File:Sahagun - Monasterio de Santa Cruz - MM Benedictinas 1.jpg, Monastery of Santa Cruz File:Sahagun - Monasterio de San Benito2.jpg, Torre del Reloj File:Sahagún Iglesia JMM.jpg, Church of San Lorenzo File:Iglesia de la Virgen Peregrina (Sahagún).jpg, Church of the Virgen Peregrina File:Ermita de la Virgen del Puente.jpg, Hermitage of La Virgen del Puente File:Sahagun - Iglesia de San Tirso 06.JPG, Church of San Tirso File:Sahagun - Iglesia de la Trinidad (albergue de peregrinos)2.jpg, Church of La Trinidad File:Sahagun - Monasterio de San Benito3.jpg, Monastery of San Benito File:Sahagún_plaza_Mayor.jpg, Street in Sahagún

References

Municipalities in the Province of León {{León-geo-stub