One of the more unusual aspects of religion in medieval and modern times, given the high degree of fanaticism reached, was the cult of relics, inextricably linked to the cult of saints. The possession of the remains of one of them, albeit in a small part, was a guarantee of prestige for any reason and religious center of worship and pilgrimage by any visitor to the treasures of the temples.
The relics were, moreover, for contemporaries recognized virtues thaumaturgic, not without a certain element morbid and bizarre. Its simple contemplation or physical approach provided a contact más directo con la divinidad y garantizaba su influjo espiritual, siempre que se cumplieran unos ritos preestablecidos.
En 1603 María de Toledo Colonna, viuda del IV Duque de Alba don Fadrique Álvarez de Toledo, organizó una delirante expedición para, desde Villafranca del Bierzo, alcanzar la remota iglesia de Santiago de Peñalba, exhumar los cuerpos de varios santos allí venerados y trasladar secretamente las reliquias a su monasterio de Dominicas de La Laura. El objetivo principal de la empresa se cumplió, al menos en lo referente a las reliquias de San Genadio y San Urbano, pero este viaje de la duqesa, también conocido como el Santo Asalto , Was surrounded by a series of tragicomic adventures of dyes which were reflected in a text cohetáneo of great interest. The contents, as it was transcribed by Father Fidel Fita in 1903, is as follows:
"aving hocupado on this a few days left of billafranca, and the same devotion Duchess took him by the correlation that avian fact you visit that wilderness, and that he intended not seemed decent Degar go in person, and was the first and last time in full. bida by boluntad came home and a league, because although walked many roads were for boluntad agena, and obedience: the Marquis acompañaronla his brother, and holy confessor and no more than a dozen servants huna dentranbos, and one maid, and a devout widow lady very faborecida Basalla the duchess had tried to assault the holy acer secret by not excite a lugarillo Cabreros and a priest who the abbot of dignity Peñalba Yglesias astorga over there was wearing: and ensure the Duchess in church one night and make it the holy body: and so had commanded in the same litter that YBA verifications a lever to lift flags and carrying a box very well seasoned with Öland and taffeta, and an ornament to give to the church, and loads to take with solemnity achas Relics. YBA while to get into his bunk sent out perhaps the lever, if there huna tornado appears outside partner less: the Gorna hera all eight leagues and took pole billafranca Bolbe to four days, because it seemed, the enemy tried to remove the bida in that way he understood the business of the laura. Rrimor night Ycieron lugarillo the Marquis, left the next day for San Esteban de balduera with intent to eat there and get to the afternoon to the church of Peña: YBA Duchess reading in the book of St. Dorothea and wanting what Mrs. Hoyes Sarmiento muffin, that the hacompañaba biuda, moving from another litter yçola YBA where his, and she wore that glorious image of Christ that the Holy Mother Teresa of Jesus, as his great friend Yco ymitar art could (and) His words, and (with) them to the Lord bivo quen the aviation horacion Bisto: yban behind the Marquis and the teacher in another litter and passing the first by a road - any length slope acia aria a river going through a hulk of a bow as escuro with boulders across abia, and the same hera RRIO water so black that seemed abitacion of hell. It was very close to San Esteban where hellos had so much as will hand-1a beast Huna both carrying the litter, had no packer is so necessary for every Hun Hun, including two for the litter, which she knelt down to YBA band, the Duchess and Tobago on the ground that part of the litter. Dona Madalena timid and stood mui hera as dead: estabala comforting and encouraging when I get a gentle duchess and say onbre V. Xth mui out quest in great danger, I say this hella: What danger? raise the mules. The old servant had love that ydiciendo rrespeto holvidandose of excellence Buesa forgive me Hasir Ybalo to arms to remove it. I say this: teneo! if so to be I'll go out, and went, and at the same point lift control Madalena Dona had no urge to go out and he came to get her out, he stayed with a touch of his hand: and the beast estava of rrodillas came while the Duchess, is hung, and as large havia height and hera way to RRIO enpinada as Huna right wall, failed to stop what is, and hang up, as more weight than estava, entranvas fell with the litter and what was inside: and the whole litter Yco no evil Mrs. Ragas and muffin. And fell, he began to rrodillas the duchess, and with much pain say ayudalda Mother of God, and then sitting on slab huna mirasen command from above, made aviation what? and digeronla is dead: looked out and I say this not, hun arm moves, bagad this table for her: yçoles seek trageron bagada and is just the evil of fear and horror that she did not hera little hen, came to San Estevan and unemployment acerla there to heal from the horror, and degandola home of a cousin who was the host aviation set off at dawn to climb hills Hun, that neither of Monserrate, nor those of monseni will not be more rough and enpinadas, or narrow paths so that no horse per cavy not it: liked it standing up for their devotion to the Duchess, but his frequent illnesses had not with forces that could acer. She and her maid were in chairs, and servants, teachers, and the Huns marques walk with canes. Are those wonderful mountains high, harsh and fertile trees and good grass, which is born between the Carcass, and Malec, and abundant water from streams, removing them the art of the Romans, de los Rios of artos ay also in solitude by the rocks as the Hun aciendo Conduits water and the other a horn and noise rrumor enbravecido sea, the great styling Tray number of mines that there ay: or bestigios also missing, of which the Saints' living in those mountains grageavan and discovered to his sentence in a hermitages that there are trees i see you long grass, where the Duchess going to allava holy confessor resting leaning on his staff in prayer: Beni no marques, as well rested because of being so brave soldier estava bearings and shy at times, that he feared his ermana not being a wife, and temblava thinking that was to take the Saints drop a rray of Heaven, ho swallow the earth and Beni no less melancholy we regret that road manager Abers: ermana the Moyna conceal his love quel mostrava, esperavala the door was and as put in his seat, went out. She rreconcilio and tell your confessor before daring to be taken into the holy shrines of prayer communing Huna prayer, the tag that he commended him to God, not avian Quenta aciendo Benido to move Santos, but only bisitarlos and arian commanded it: they heard three or four masses, I say this teacher and comulgola, they stood in prayer, and while it entered the marques with great joy mui saying his! Mrs. Agamas what we agame acer oy and have mercy questa night in San Pedro de mountain forests Benedictine abbey, and not here, that this humedisimo, and I have three doors keep this Yglesias. We, looking to master the rrespuesta hera questa mudances of Heaven, the sepulcher of St. Stephen abbot with great desire to do; porquestava at the entrance to a door in the arch estava a lietrero onrrado, and to be easier to remove ern us that was so inposible We had the will of heaven that does not llebasemos from there. This Yglesias (s) of particular mui work and arches so rredondos pylastras almost ACAV the circle, and mosayca work, all of a nabe. It has a chapel of the Blessed Sacrament to a headwall, and the other 'in Questa hotra ermoso and two great sepulchres of gruessisirnas miii marble slabs San Gennadius bodies and San Urbano confessors and bishops anchorites astorga old, that even the saints at that time that, more than seven years who died for the Blessed Reberencia Sacramento, they placed at the foot of Yglesias and so to their kings. He had the body of the two chapels on each side Yglesias where by it will come out colunetas arched doors and alabaster and five other bodies including the abbot's esteban: Yglesias was this one of the abbeys founded by St Gennadius, whose ruins there aunquel look and ride on that building, and uploaded abia is high, from that height seems dexa We broke another Debaga clouds, and that remains superior, and flames o horn silence, which won the much nonhre Saints in the ranges ablar lifeguards without words but those of the Mass and divine services many times that he rretiraban: i ay are the shrines of poor manufacturing, and without missing a stone and covers all Yglesias gunto with that in the middle of this weed, which seem to you long grass hermitages.
The relics were, moreover, for contemporaries recognized virtues thaumaturgic, not without a certain element morbid and bizarre. Its simple contemplation or physical approach provided a contact más directo con la divinidad y garantizaba su influjo espiritual, siempre que se cumplieran unos ritos preestablecidos.
En 1603 María de Toledo Colonna, viuda del IV Duque de Alba don Fadrique Álvarez de Toledo, organizó una delirante expedición para, desde Villafranca del Bierzo, alcanzar la remota iglesia de Santiago de Peñalba, exhumar los cuerpos de varios santos allí venerados y trasladar secretamente las reliquias a su monasterio de Dominicas de La Laura. El objetivo principal de la empresa se cumplió, al menos en lo referente a las reliquias de San Genadio y San Urbano, pero este viaje de la duqesa, también conocido como el Santo Asalto , Was surrounded by a series of tragicomic adventures of dyes which were reflected in a text cohetáneo of great interest. The contents, as it was transcribed by Father Fidel Fita in 1903, is as follows:
"aving hocupado on this a few days left of billafranca, and the same devotion Duchess took him by the correlation that avian fact you visit that wilderness, and that he intended not seemed decent Degar go in person, and was the first and last time in full. bida by boluntad came home and a league, because although walked many roads were for boluntad agena, and obedience: the Marquis acompañaronla his brother, and holy confessor and no more than a dozen servants huna dentranbos, and one maid, and a devout widow lady very faborecida Basalla the duchess had tried to assault the holy acer secret by not excite a lugarillo Cabreros and a priest who the abbot of dignity Peñalba Yglesias astorga over there was wearing: and ensure the Duchess in church one night and make it the holy body: and so had commanded in the same litter that YBA verifications a lever to lift flags and carrying a box very well seasoned with Öland and taffeta, and an ornament to give to the church, and loads to take with solemnity achas Relics. YBA while to get into his bunk sent out perhaps the lever, if there huna tornado appears outside partner less: the Gorna hera all eight leagues and took pole billafranca Bolbe to four days, because it seemed, the enemy tried to remove the bida in that way he understood the business of the laura. Rrimor night Ycieron lugarillo the Marquis, left the next day for San Esteban de balduera with intent to eat there and get to the afternoon to the church of Peña: YBA Duchess reading in the book of St. Dorothea and wanting what Mrs. Hoyes Sarmiento muffin, that the hacompañaba biuda, moving from another litter yçola YBA where his, and she wore that glorious image of Christ that the Holy Mother Teresa of Jesus, as his great friend Yco ymitar art could (and) His words, and (with) them to the Lord bivo quen the aviation horacion Bisto: yban behind the Marquis and the teacher in another litter and passing the first by a road - any length slope acia aria a river going through a hulk of a bow as escuro with boulders across abia, and the same hera RRIO water so black that seemed abitacion of hell. It was very close to San Esteban where hellos had so much as will hand-1a beast Huna both carrying the litter, had no packer is so necessary for every Hun Hun, including two for the litter, which she knelt down to YBA band, the Duchess and Tobago on the ground that part of the litter. Dona Madalena timid and stood mui hera as dead: estabala comforting and encouraging when I get a gentle duchess and say onbre V. Xth mui out quest in great danger, I say this hella: What danger? raise the mules. The old servant had love that ydiciendo rrespeto holvidandose of excellence Buesa forgive me Hasir Ybalo to arms to remove it. I say this: teneo! if so to be I'll go out, and went, and at the same point lift control Madalena Dona had no urge to go out and he came to get her out, he stayed with a touch of his hand: and the beast estava of rrodillas came while the Duchess, is hung, and as large havia height and hera way to RRIO enpinada as Huna right wall, failed to stop what is, and hang up, as more weight than estava, entranvas fell with the litter and what was inside: and the whole litter Yco no evil Mrs. Ragas and muffin. And fell, he began to rrodillas the duchess, and with much pain say ayudalda Mother of God, and then sitting on slab huna mirasen command from above, made aviation what? and digeronla is dead: looked out and I say this not, hun arm moves, bagad this table for her: yçoles seek trageron bagada and is just the evil of fear and horror that she did not hera little hen, came to San Estevan and unemployment acerla there to heal from the horror, and degandola home of a cousin who was the host aviation set off at dawn to climb hills Hun, that neither of Monserrate, nor those of monseni will not be more rough and enpinadas, or narrow paths so that no horse per cavy not it: liked it standing up for their devotion to the Duchess, but his frequent illnesses had not with forces that could acer. She and her maid were in chairs, and servants, teachers, and the Huns marques walk with canes. Are those wonderful mountains high, harsh and fertile trees and good grass, which is born between the Carcass, and Malec, and abundant water from streams, removing them the art of the Romans, de los Rios of artos ay also in solitude by the rocks as the Hun aciendo Conduits water and the other a horn and noise rrumor enbravecido sea, the great styling Tray number of mines that there ay: or bestigios also missing, of which the Saints' living in those mountains grageavan and discovered to his sentence in a hermitages that there are trees i see you long grass, where the Duchess going to allava holy confessor resting leaning on his staff in prayer: Beni no marques, as well rested because of being so brave soldier estava bearings and shy at times, that he feared his ermana not being a wife, and temblava thinking that was to take the Saints drop a rray of Heaven, ho swallow the earth and Beni no less melancholy we regret that road manager Abers: ermana the Moyna conceal his love quel mostrava, esperavala the door was and as put in his seat, went out. She rreconcilio and tell your confessor before daring to be taken into the holy shrines of prayer communing Huna prayer, the tag that he commended him to God, not avian Quenta aciendo Benido to move Santos, but only bisitarlos and arian commanded it: they heard three or four masses, I say this teacher and comulgola, they stood in prayer, and while it entered the marques with great joy mui saying his! Mrs. Agamas what we agame acer oy and have mercy questa night in San Pedro de mountain forests Benedictine abbey, and not here, that this humedisimo, and I have three doors keep this Yglesias. We, looking to master the rrespuesta hera questa mudances of Heaven, the sepulcher of St. Stephen abbot with great desire to do; porquestava at the entrance to a door in the arch estava a lietrero onrrado, and to be easier to remove ern us that was so inposible We had the will of heaven that does not llebasemos from there. This Yglesias (s) of particular mui work and arches so rredondos pylastras almost ACAV the circle, and mosayca work, all of a nabe. It has a chapel of the Blessed Sacrament to a headwall, and the other 'in Questa hotra ermoso and two great sepulchres of gruessisirnas miii marble slabs San Gennadius bodies and San Urbano confessors and bishops anchorites astorga old, that even the saints at that time that, more than seven years who died for the Blessed Reberencia Sacramento, they placed at the foot of Yglesias and so to their kings. He had the body of the two chapels on each side Yglesias where by it will come out colunetas arched doors and alabaster and five other bodies including the abbot's esteban: Yglesias was this one of the abbeys founded by St Gennadius, whose ruins there aunquel look and ride on that building, and uploaded abia is high, from that height seems dexa We broke another Debaga clouds, and that remains superior, and flames o horn silence, which won the much nonhre Saints in the ranges ablar lifeguards without words but those of the Mass and divine services many times that he rretiraban: i ay are the shrines of poor manufacturing, and without missing a stone and covers all Yglesias gunto with that in the middle of this weed, which seem to you long grass hermitages.
this mountain of silence the women could not go up by larger roughness: but just look at him instilled devotion and love of solitude. Bolbe to church, that slab of the sepulcher of St. Gennadius Heran seemed necessary that some fifty honbres to move: after yesterday removed huna Rega covered it, and was covered with earth Gunter knotted handkerchief to slabs, the Bierce is quentodo tied to the neck for calçnturas, and quitandoseles, they say is foolproof become there. Alone the Marquis and three servants, removed the lime of Guntur, and open lehantaron and had all four of rroclillas with levers: the master rrebestido and white achas rrodillas and burning; lloravan of devotion and big soft mild smell that came out of the sepulcher, and do not miss out there who saw Blaze. Body bags, which was made all the armor of the bones and meat rredonda polbufo converted into a brown, and some in their being attached to the taps: degaronse pequeíios bones, for which there ydolatrasen not attend certain days OC0S the aio, with processions. So also the body bags of urban san degando something, and the St. fones. And eating and aving cleaned the church and decorated the altars were broken, it would be noon, and night till soon mui soto a league, who walked a Sendilla, not used since the death of Santos that there yban a Avadi to another: mui rougher than the past, and seemed so close that we do not hurl Delians miracle, because the chairs are not caviar. When PARAVAN to rnudarse, those who llebavan, quedava without doubt the most in the air, over hun Ondura Avisma of where the mule has apportioned to each caver rrodavan not in the narrowness of the Sendilla. Salba's who brought the Holy Ark that fell ranges, and to make the Saints, three miracles that occurred for short quente something this long relationship. We arrived at St. Peter and St. Stephen we had mourned as dead, when we knew there aimed avian: San successful where they shot a crossbow as a fierce man did not believe that there estuhicra umano: that mui tube good night room the Duchess was the same Yglesias where Osava not get close to the walls. produced by his hands Saints. Buelter the next day at St. Stephen, and taking to the conpañera and cornposicion aciendo there in a few bands of all becinos, two women Cavec Delians onrradas, and so it was easy conponer the women, though not a little self heal Becausethe sides fomentava , and the Duchess ubo need more encouragement to rreprenderle that to get into the quarrel that rrebolbian ahitavan those evil spirits in the pontoon, where poncr Yco huna large cross, and he sent preachers to St. Stephen, that the most viegas haver not heard it acordavan Sermon in his life so lacking ace the word of God. After desto became to billafranca.
The original text was published by Fidel Fita Colomé under the title: "Hagiography. The assault saint of the Duchess of Alba in 1603. And unpublished contemporary relationship ", Journal of the Royal Academy of History, Volume 42, Year 1903.
