Carrión de los Condes

Carrión de los Condes is a municipality in the province of Palencia of the Autonomous Community of Castile and Leon, in Spain.

It is 40 kilometers from Palencia city, in the Way of Saint James, and it is known for its Romanesque and Gothic monuments. Among them, the Pantocrator of the Church of Santiago is considered to be a Masterpiece of Romanesque sculpture.

Monuments

*Church of Santa María de las Victorias, Romanesque 12th century
*Church of Santiago, Romanesque 13th century
*Monastery of Santa Clara, 13th century
*Monastery of San Zoilo (XII-XVI) with magnificent Plateresque Cloister

*Romanesque tombs of the Princes and Counts of Carrión
*Churches of Belén, San Andrés and San Julián

History

The villa of Carrión de los Condes was taken from the Moors by Alonso Carreño around 791 - 842. Don Carreño took the name Carrión at this time.

Carrión de los Condes was the home of Diego and Fernán González, brothers in law of El Cid.

Jewish presence in Carrión

The town was inhabited by Jews at an early date. Although they outnumbered the Christians both in numbers and in property, they submitted in 1126 to the victorious King Alfonso VI, who showed himself favorably disposed toward them.

In 1160 many of them settled in the neighboring city of Palencia.

The Jewish community of Carrion was so large in 1290 that it paid 92,000 maravedis in taxes, not much less than the amount paid by the community of Burgos. In Carrion, as elsewhere, the Jews were persecuted. Delegates from the city appeared before King Alphonso of Castile (probably Alfonso the Wise), informing him that the Christians of the city, because of a groundless suspicion, had risen against the Jews and killed two of them; that thereupon the Jews had sought refuge in the palace of the prince, who was absent at the time, and, when the Christians followed in pursuit, had escaped through a secret door leading into the court, and locked their pursuers in. The king ordered a strict investigation of the matter, hanged ten of the ringleaders, and imprisoned all others who had taken part in the disturbance. Fact|date=June 2007

At the time of the great persecution in 1391, most of the Jews of Carrion were baptized.

Links

* [http://pueblospalencia.es/index.php/carrion-de-los-condes Pueblos Palencia] (in Spanish).
* [http://carrion.info Carrión de los Condes] (in Spanish).

ee also

*Carrión River

----