The municipality commemorates the fourth centenary of its foundation as a Villa. The first event will be this Sunday with a theatrical recreation of the possession ceremony from 1626.
The Leganés City Council has presented the programme for the 400th anniversary of the granting of the title of Villa, a milestone that begins this Sunday with a theatrical recreation in the vicinity of the Church of San Salvador. The event recalls the possession of the then village by Bernardino de Arteaga on September 6, 1626, the first step in the process that culminated with the decree of Philip IV on March 15, 1627, and the appointment of Don Diego Mesía as Marquis of Leganés on June 22 of that same year.
According to larazon.es, the commemoration coincides with the transfer of Our Lady of Butarque to her hermitage, linking institutional history with a deeply rooted tradition among the locals. The municipality, which today has over 200,000 inhabitants, wants the anniversary to reach every corner, with events in neighbourhoods such as La Fortuna and San Nicasio.
The programme includes a commemorative image based on the city’s coat of arms and Roman numerals, a new website, an updated anthem, and cultural, educational, sports, and commercial activities. National-level clubs in volleyball, basketball, handball, and futsal will display the emblem, and the Club Deportivo Leganés will participate in one of its matches. More than 17,000 school agendas will carry an explanation about the origin of Leganés as a Villa.
The anniversary also recovers the pepinera identity, referring to the merchants who sold vegetables in the markets of Madrid. There will be an Agro-Food Market in San Nicasio and the Community of Madrid initiative 'El Comercio A Escena' to remember that tradition.
The recreation this Sunday will take place in the vicinity of the Church of San Salvador, where attendees will be able to meet some of the protagonists of that era and relive the moment when Leganés began its transformation into a Villa.
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