The story of the 'Lovers of Teruel'

Mausoleum of  'Los amantes de Teruel'

Spain is a land of legends and tales in which many times fact is mixed with fiction.

One of the most famous in Spain is that of 'Los amantes de Teruel' ('The Lovers of Teruel').

The love story of Isabel de Segura and Diego de Marcilla dates back to the 13th century. He was the younger son and therefore had no inheritance while she was the only daughter of one of the richest families in the city. Given these conditions, their love could only be united if the young man could raise enough money to pay the dowry. Isabel's father gave Diego 5 years to raise the money. Diego decided to join the Christian army that was fighting a Moorish invasion on the promise of getting wealthy. Meanwhile, Isabel stayed in Teruel, rejecting marriage proposals from various noblemen.

When the deadline past without any news from Diego, Isabel got married not knowing that Diego would arrive the following day with great riches. Upon learning that his love had married another, Diego went to the house of the newlyweds to ask for a first and last kiss. She denied him being a married woman and her rejection killed him. The following day, at Diego's funeral, Isabel went up to the lifeless body of her true love and, according to tradition, 'gave in death the kiss she had denied him in life' and immediately felt dead at his side.

San Pedro church

In 1555, while doing some work on San Pedro's church, they discovered the bodies of two young people who had been buried together. The people immediately declared them to be the 'lovers of Teruel', but it wasn't until 1619, thanks to the discovery of a document dated in the 14th century, that they could confirm both the story and the identities of the bodies.

The lovers still lie together in a mausoleum on the side of the church of San Pedro, which is a part of the Mudejar buildings of Teruel declared a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The city of Teruel celebrates this medieval love story every February. The streets and squares of the old town recreate the atmosphere of the age and thousands of people participate in this festival which includes: story-tellers, performers, executioners, nobles and servants, and throughout the city tells the story of the lovers.

Representación teatral de los 'Amantes de Teruel'

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