The Real Story Of Witches of Zugarramurdi

Zugarramurdi is a town near the French border, surrounded by a large green meadow where the cows peacefully graze. Zugarramurdi is a small village in the Navarre region of Xareta. It has 250 inhabitants right now and is famous for a few things, like its beautiful pine and chestnut trees and a cave that was carved out by water. However, the village is most famous for some sad and dark events that happened there in the seventeenth century. As a result of these occurrences, fifty individuals were condemned to death for witchcraft by the Court of the Inquisition.

Because of witchcraft issues in Labourd land, the lords of Urtubi-Alzate and Sant Per urgently petitioned King Henry IV of France for assistance in 1608. Then a Zugarramurdi lady shared a dream in which she saw members of the community covening in a nearby cave. The abbot of Urdax sought assistance from the Logroño Court of the Holy Inquisition after her dream, and inquisitor Juan Valle Alvarado was sent to investigate the region.

Following the hearing of several remarks and grievances, the inquisitor first levied charges against over 300 individuals. Roughly forty of the accused were deemed suspect and sent to Logroño jail. Their cases were subsequently heard in the renowned "Logroño Process," which attracted attention from throughout the world, even outside the boundaries of Spain and France. A total of 29 defendants were found guilty in June 1610 by the court.

While six individuals were put to death for resisting, eighteen were pardoned at the "Act of Faith" (auto da fe/auto de fe) that took place in Logroño on November 7th and 8th, 1610, as a result of their confessions of wrongdoing and pleas for compassion from the court. Since five further individuals had previously passed away while incarcerated, five statuettes depicting them were set ablaze. On Sunday, November 7, 1610, the Act of Faith drew some 30,000 individuals, a large portion of them were French.

A thousand individuals, including members of several religious orders, commissioners, notaries of the Inquisition, and relatives of the accused, formed the procession that started the 1610 Act of Faith at Logroño. Twenty penitents standing further back in line each had a light in their hand; six of them had a rope over their necks, suggesting they ought to be flogged.

Following this, the pardoned people wore cumbersome corozas (pointed caps) and sanbenitos (a garment resembling a scapular). Afterwards, five individuals materialized, each bearing a statue of one of the five inmates who had passed away while incarcerated, as well as the matching caskets housing their corpses. Two men and four ladies, all dressed in the traditional sanbenitos, but with black ones to represent the impending death penalty for heresy, followed. The procession was completed by a donkey bearing the coffin with the judgments, three inquisitors from the Logroño court atop horses, and four secretaries of the Inquisition.

A Dominican inquisitor gave the sermon once everyone had settled into their seats, and the inquisitorial secretaries had begun reading the sentences. Due to the length of the reading, the act of faith was postponed until Monday, November 8th. As a result of the harsh punishments meted out to the witches of Zugarramurdi, the Spanish Inquisition gained notoriety for its most savage approach to combating witchcraft.

The Orabidea River carved up a natural passageway through the ground thousands of years ago. The cavern it carved out is symmetrical from the northeast to the southwest, and its dimensions are 120 meters (393.7 feet) in length, 22–26 meters (72.2–85.3 feet) in breadth at the eastern end, and 12–39.4 feet in width at the western end. Averaging 10–12 meters (32.8–39.4 feet) in height, the cave has two lofty halls.

Sorginen Leizea, also known as the "cave of the witches" in its original language of Euskera, is a stunning cavern surrounded by verdant scenery. "The gutter of hell" (Infernuko Erreka) is the name of the major gallery. On top of everything else, the word "coven" (from the Spanish "aquelarre") comes from the town of Zugarramurdi, where a meadow known as Akelarre, or Field of the Goat, is next to the cave.

A museum devoted to the history of the Holy Inquisition and witchcraft has been open to the public in the city since 2007. Arranged by the Witch Museum, which is located in the former hamlet hospital, are guided tours of the renowned cavern. Witches' Day, a yearly celebration that has taken place in the museum since its establishment, also features the museum prominently. In addition to these exhibits, the museum paints a stunning picture of 17th-century Navarrean life, complete with myths and tales. Historical figures from Zugarramurdi's history may be honored at the Witch Museum, which is open to both locals and visitors.

References

https://www.ancient-origins.net/history/zugarramurdi-witch-trials-welcome-spanish-salem-003840

https://carameltrail.com/haunted-spain-stories-for-an-all-hallows-eve/