The origins of the current Santillana del Mar goes back to the VIII century, a time when a group of monks were carrying the relics of a martyr named Juliana, and decided to settle in an uninhabited area near the village of Planes, at the foot of Mount Vispieres.
These monks built a small, simple chapel so that the relics they had carried
could be exhibited. At that moment the process of appropriation of the land
begun, along with donations from the faithful and Privileges were granted by
the kingdom of Asturias-Leon to promote repopulation in the area. All this
contributed to the establishment of a monastery ruled by an abbot and around
the monastery buildings were built which served as shelter for the farmers,
leading to a village which became known as the religious center, "Sancta Luliana", the current Santillana.
Belonging to the kingdom Asturias-Leon, it acquired a progressive legal and administrative importance, giving rise to it so that from the year 1100 it started to appear in documents of the time as "Council of Santillana de Camesa", which is the origin of Asturias de Santillana. The abbey was experiencing a major economic expansion through a series of royal privileges and an abundance of donations, which contributed to the expansion of the lordship. By this time Santillana had become well known as a place to stop for pilgrims on their way to Santiago. This process of economic and cultural expansion, culminated in the year 1209 when Alfonso VIII granted the Privilege to Santillana.
From this moment on a gradual decline of the Abbey begun to the detriment of lordly domination culminating in the sale of the town to the first Marquis of Santillana and gave rise to the Litigation of the Nine Valleys, after which Santillana no longer belonged to the Duke Infantado of Potes, until the creation of the Constitutional Council in 1833. ero.
Today Santillana del Mar is a key reference point in the
Cantabrian coast, known for its important tourism,
which sits on its rich heritage and
landscape, and the extent of their cultural events.
