On a June morning in 1640, the streets of Sant Andreu erupted in bloodshed that would reshape an entire region. What began as a local riot became known as the Corpus de Sang, the Corpus of Blood, marking one of the most violent uprisings in Catalan history. In the square near Plaça d'Orfila, where the historic parish church stands, peasant reapers had reached their breaking point.
For months, Spanish troops occupied their homes, demanding food and shelter while committing theft and violence against local families. The breaking point came when soldiers killed a reaper during a confrontation. Armed with farming sickles, thousands of furious reapers stormed through the streets on Corpus Christi day.
They seized a crucifix from the Capella dels Segadors as their banner and marched into the city shouting "Long live the land, death to bad government." The violence escalated quickly. By June 10, the Spanish Viceroy of Catalonia, Dalmau de Queralt, was dead, murdered by rebels as he attempted to flee.
This three day massacre ignited the Reapers' War, a brutal 19 year conflict between Catalonia and the Spanish monarchy. The uprising was so powerful it inspired Els Segadors, which became the official Catalan anthem, still sung in remembrance of the peasants who fought back.
Sources. Story: Source Story: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corpus_de_Sang https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reapers'_War Photos: Source Photo: Hermenegildo Miralles - (print in the public domain... is more than 100 years old & author died more then 70 years ago), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
