Cantigas de Santa María

The Cantigas de Santa María are a collection of over 400 monophonic songs compiled in the 13th century by King Alfonso X the Wise of Castile and Leon. These songs, written in the Galician language, celebrate the miracles of the Virgin Mary.1

The cantigas are a genre of 13th-century Spanish song, often honoring the Virgin Mary. The Cantigas de Santa María manuscript is the most famous collection, preserved in multiple copies. These songs are often in the virelai form and show similarities to the music of contemporary troubadours.1

The term cantiga also refers to Portuguese lyrics collected in cancioneiros (songbooks) from the 12th century onwards. These include cantigas de amigo (laments of women), cantigas de amor (songs of a pining lover), and cantigas de escárnio e maldizer (ribald satires), with occasional religious songs. The cantar in Spanish literature originally meant song lyrics and later evolved into various poetic forms, including the medieval narrative epic known as the cantar de gesta, exemplified by the Cantar de mio Cid.23