Los amantes de Teruel

The Lovers of Teruel (Los amantes de Teruel) is a romance story that is alleged to have taken place in 1217 in this city. It's very similar to the story of Romeo and Juliet. In the city there were two important and wealthy families, Marcilla and Segura. Diego and Isabel were their children. The two were in love but Isabel's father forbade the marriage. Diego had to go away and to become rich within 5 years. 5 years passed and Isabel's father married her to Don Pedro de Azagra from Albarracín. Diego arrived in the evening. That night, Diego sneaked into the bedroom of Isabel and her husband and gently awoke her. He pleaded to her, "Bésame, que me muero," (Kiss me for I am dying) and she refused, saying "God would not wish me to deceive my husband. For the love of Christ, I beg you to find another, and forget about me. If our love could not please God, then neither should it please me."

He begged her one last time, saying that he was dying and wished for a final kiss. But still she refused. Upon hearing this Diego could not bear the separation between himself and his love, and with a sigh he died on the feet of his beloved Isabel. When she realized that he died, she shivered, woke her husband, and told him the story. They agreed on secretly burying him in the local church because the husband feared that he would be blamed for his death. The next day, during the funeral for Diego Marcilla, Isabel showed up dressed in her wedding dress. She proceeded to walk to the front of the church and place a kiss on the man whom she had refused but in doing so Isabel died, falling prostrate on the body of the man whom she loved.

The two deaths caused by love inspired the citizens of Teruel and they demanded that the two be buried side by side so that at least in death they could be together. This request was granted by the church. The fame of the couple soon spread through Spain and in 1560 their mummies were exhumed and placed in the tombs where they now rest.

Dromos