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Santoyo (Municipality, Castilla y León, Spain)

Last modified: 2015-01-17 by ivan sache
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Presentation of Santoyo

The municipality of Santoyo (250 inhabitants in 2009; 3,469 ha; municipal website) is located 30 km from Palencia.

Santoyo is mentioned on the Melgar de Fernamental charter, granted to the village in 988 by Fernán Armentález and approved by Count of Castile García Fernández. The etymology of Santoyo is obscure; some say that the old written form Santochyo means "Sanctus Eutichyus", while other believe that the village's name comes from its patron saint, St. John the Baptist, Santus Joannes, abbreviated to Santus J and castilianized to Santoyo. Faustino Narganes Quijano, author of the document supporting the municipal symbols' proposal, provided evidence that Santoyo comes from San Audito or San Avito; his findings were validated by the historians Julio González and Gonzalo Martínez Díez.
Santoyo was a citadel of 13 ha in area, built on the 11th century on the ruins of a previous Visigothic fortification. The wall was of 1,150 m in length, with four gates. The few remains of the fortifications were restored in 2003.

Ivan Sache, 7 February 2011


Symbols of Santoyo

The flag and arms of Santoyo are prescribed by a Decree adopted on 27 May 2000 by the Municipal Council, signed on 27 December 2000 by the Mayor, and published on 11 January 2001 in the official gazette of Castilla y León, No. 8, p. 972 (text).
The symbols are described as follows:

Flag: Quadrangular flag with proportions 1:1, diagonally divided per bend red and blue, in the middle the municipal coat of arms in full colors.
Coat of arms: Shield of Spanish shape. Gules a fortified wall or with a three-crenellation donjon masoned sable windows azure the gate proper with knocker argent a bordure azure eight crosses patty argent. The shield surmounted with a Royal Spanish crown.

Ivan Sache, 7 February 2011