The Middle Ages It was a hard time and women had it difficult. In that dark past, from which historical brushstrokes of religious fanaticism and terrible plagues have come down to us, witches took on great importance. In Europe alone, an estimated nine million people accused of practicing it died, although probably the most famous trial in relation to these worshipers of Satan was the one from Salem, in which 20 women (many of them teenagers) were accused and sentenced to hang.
The witches have remained in the popular imagination to celebrate the day of Halloween, remind us that with a broom you can always fly and that the covens were those meetings of various witches in which the devil was worshiped and rituals and spells were performed (and which give name to a very famous painting by Goya). But if you thought that covens were exclusive to Salem, you are wrong, Civitatis has established a list of the most famous peoples of our country for their stories about these women. And is that witches have been part of the horror stories of all cultures in the world.
Zugarramurdi (Pamplona)
Alex de la Iglesia gave popularity with his film ‘The witches of Zugarramurdi‘to this town in full Baztán Valley. The legends about covens that refer to this small Navarrese town date back many centuries, specifically from the time when the merciless Inquisition traveled through Spain in search of heretics and witches to make them pay for their sins.
And it is that the witches of Zugarramurdi are much more than a movie: that is how the most famous case in the history of witchcraft in Spain is known. In Zugarramurdi, in addition of a curious museum on witchcraft opened in 2007, It is possible to visit what is known as Cueva de las Brujas.
Trasmoz (Zaragoza)
Located in the province of Zaragoza, Trasmoz boasts of being one of the most mysterious towns in Spain. According to its less than 100 inhabitants, in the past, Trasmoz Castle was the meeting place of different covens. As a shocking curiosity: it is the only town in Spain that continues to be excommunicated by the Church for its medieval past related to witchcraft.
The first Saturday of July of each year is celebrated (or was celebrated before the coronavirus arrived) the Fair of Witchcraft and Medicinal PlantsThe town has found a tourist vein in these mysterious stories, and also offers tourists a Museum of Witchcraft.
San Salvador de Coiro (Pontevedra)
Legend has it that the covens they met on the beach of Coiro to perform their spells and call the wandering souls in the area, and the fact is that the stories of this small town between the Vigo and Aldán estuaries are not to sleep: legend adds that the bell of the church of San Salvador de Coiro resounded throughout the town without anyone ringing it to call the witches. Chilling to say the least.
Soportújar (Granada)
More than an hour from Granada, In the area of the Alpujarra, is Soportújar. We understand that the life of the medieval women should not be especially easy, with the Inquisition prowling, because the legend of this small municipality is that it was founded by a coven from Galicia, who decided to flee to the south. Strolling through the town is to find many magical references.
From the huge head of the witch Baba Yaga (mythical witch of Russian and Norse mythology, old, bony and wrinkled, with a blue nose) to the Coven Viewpoint or Witch’s Eye Cave, everyone will welcome you when you visit the area. It is advisable to go in August, when the Bewitching Fair is celebrated.
La Lastra (Madrid)
The old village of La Lastra, at the foot of the Sierra de Guadarrama, it was devastated by bombing during the Civil War. In addition to being a place famous for its appearances and paranormal activity, they say that before the ghosts of war arrived this was already a town of witches, where they met to carry out covens to the point that the residents of nearby towns (Robledo de Chavela or Valdemaqueda) joined forces to ‘hunt’ them at night. Legend has it that wherever they practiced their spells, mushrooms sprouted in a circle that marked where the coven had been.
Cernégula (Burgos)
The tiny Burgos village of Cernégula (with no more than 70 inhabitants) was in the past a major focus of witchcraft that turned the Catholic Church on its head. They say that Cernégula Pond, known to locals as La PilaIt was the meeting place for different covens from Cantabria, Navarra and Castile during the 15th and 16th centuries. On the shores of these waters, the witches gathered on the shores to exchange potions and spells and increase their power.
Today, in Cernégula it is possible to admire the sculpture of an iron witch in the middle of the pond, as a tribute to the dark past of this town.
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