The festival commemorates an episode that occurred between 1408 and 1412When the residents of the Llanera council, subject to the jurisdictional lordship of the Oviedo clergy, rose up against the grievances they attributed to the representatives of the bishop, Don Guillén de Monteverde or Verdemonte. That conflict, which may have begun with a specific abuse—the forced appropriation of an ox belonging to the nobleman Gonzalo Rodríguez de Posada, according to some accounts—ignited into a popular insurrection. The residents decided not to obey, and in the Middle Ages, disobeying the lord, especially when that lord was also a bishop, was tantamount to losing the keys to heaven.
The excommunicated of Llanera
The response was terrible: excommunication for the inhabitants of the councilThe churches closed their doors, the bells fell silent, religious services were suspended, and the principal sacraments ceased to be celebrated. This meant being born without a blessing, marrying without protection, dying without a canonical burial, and living under a constant suspicion that extended into eternity.
What was extraordinary about these events was not only the condemnation, but the resistance For four years, the entire council exercised its power: noblemen, commoners, good men, families, and parishes. That's why the festival of Los Exconxuraos has something of a civic epic about it, the steadfastness of a small Asturian community that refused to accept abuse as natural. The reconciliation It would only come after the death of Don Guillén, when the new bishop, Diego Ramírez de Guzmán, opened a path to concord.
On July 27, 1412, the council representatives met in Posada to declare their return to obedience and request the lifting of the excommunication. But the pardon required an extra spectacle: thirty men—twenty nobles and ten commoners—had to go to the church of San Salvador in Oviedo, barefoot, dressed in sackcloth or doublets, bound with ropes, and carrying lit candles in their hands. They had to participate in the procession and the mass before receiving absolution. This is the dramatic core of the celebration. the penitential march towards OviedoThirty men walked like defeated men so that the entire council could once again receive communion.
The great medieval festival of Asturias
Since 2000Llanera turned those events into a popular festival, and over time Los Exconxuraos have become established as one of the great historical celebrations of Asturias, recognized as Regional Tourist InterestBut the appeal of Los Exconxuraos lies not only in the medieval costumes or the historical reenactments, but in its true essence, in the fact that Llanera recognizes itself in these events.
Thus, memory is not sustained solely by documents, nor by the names of bishops, nor by the solemnity of absolution, but above all, the participation of the residentsThey are the ones who transform the memory into a celebration. The inhabitants of Llanera prepare their own costumes, parade, perform, collaborate on the atmosphere, and turn the festival into a symbolic extension of the old rebellious council.
The main acts They form a kind of secular liturgy. The medieval market y the camp They transform the fairgrounds into a fortified village, populated by artisans, minstrels, jesters, troubadours, dancers, men-at-arms, falcons, and ancient trades. The medieval atmosphere is complete: iron, leather, fire, wood, music, shouts, stalls, smoke, and that picturesque disorder that appeals so much to today's public, perhaps because daily life has become too orderly.
The Exconxuraos Parade It is the most unique act of the celebration. The figures dressed in sacks, bound with ropes and evoked as ancient penitents contrast with the image of the open-air masswhich reminds us once again that the conflict was not only political or neighborhood-related, but also religious.
The medieval dinner It occupies another central place. The banquet, with its abundance and theatricality, represents the other side of penance: after the sackcloth, the tablecloth and the wine; after the excommunication, the lamb (on the spit). Hundreds of diners dressed in period costumes gather around the dinner, and the knights' tournament It adds to the night the clamor of epic: spears, duels, honor and live spectacle.
There is also a very recognizable Asturian dimension to this event. The Exconxuraos are historical festival and meadow festival At the same time. They have solemnity and culture, but not pedantry. The council dresses up, parades, and follows all the protocol, but in the end, it all culminates in a lively street party.
Information:
You can find more information about this festival at exconxuraos.es.
On this same website you will find a complete film that narrates the events that took place in Llanera at the beginning of the 15th century.
Photographs: © Llanera Town Hall
