Arjonilla

Arjonilla municipality
	Arjonilla - place with Iglesia de la Encarnación
Basic data
Autonomous Community :	Andalusia
Province :	Jaén
Comarca :	Campiña de Jaén
Coordinates	37 ° 58 ′ N , 4 ° 6 ′ W Coordinates: 37 ° 58 ′ N , 4 ° 6 ′ W
Height :	350 msnm
Area :	42.56 km²
Residents :	3,575 (Jan 1, 2019)
Population density :	84 inhabitants / km²
Postal code :	23750
Municipality number ( INE ):	23007
administration
Website :	Arjonilla

Arjonilla is a southern Spanish town and a municipality ( municipio ) consisting of the main town and several hamlets with a total of 3,575 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2019) in the west of the province of Jaén in the autonomous region of Andalusia .

location

The place Arjonilla is about 48 km (driving distance) northwest of the provincial capital Jaén at an altitude of about 340 to 360 m above sea level. d. The climate in winter is temperate, in summer it is warm to hot; the low amounts of precipitation (approx. 525 mm / year) fall - with the exception of the almost rainless summer months - distributed over the whole year.

Population development

year	1857	1900	1950	2000	2016
Residents	3,607	4,350	5,167	3,917	3,695

The significant population decline in the second half of the 20th century is mainly due to the almost exclusive planting of olive trees, the mechanization that goes with it and the resulting loss of jobs.

economy

Arjonilla is located in the west of the seemingly endless olive tree plantations of the province of Jaén. In the past, cereals, vines, etc. were also planted for self-sufficiency ; Vegetables came from the house gardens. Small traders, craftsmen and service companies of all kinds have settled in the village. There are also several holiday homes (casas rurales) .

history

Small prehistoric finds were discovered in the municipality; Iberian finds are missing. From the Roman times many coins were found and of Visigoth time comes a sarcophagus , which in today Museo de Jaén is shown. At the beginning of the 8th century the area was overrun by the Moors . After the end of the Caliphate of Cordoba (1031), the area became part of the Taifa Kingdom of Jaén. Around the middle of the 12th century Arjonilla fell to the Almohad Empire , which, after its defeat in the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa (1212) , was exposed to increasing attacks from its Muslim ( Ibn Hud , Muhammad I ibn Nasr ) and Christian neighbors. Probably around the same time as Jaén (1246), Arjonilla was taken over by the Christians under Ferdinand III. recaptured by Castile ( reconquista ) and incorporated into the newly created Kingdom of Jaén , which was, however, closely connected to the Crown of Castile and did not appear politically. The place was administered - like the larger neighboring town Arjona - by the Calatrava order . The expulsion of the Jews began with the Alhambra Edict (1492) of the Catholic Kings ; in the years around 1610 the last Muslims ( moriscos ) were also expelled.

Attractions

The castle (Castillo del Trovador Macías) is the oldest building in the city. During excavations, remains of the Moorish foundations were discovered, but the complex that is visible today with the 17 m high gate tower dates from the 15th century. The name of the castle goes back to the drama Porfiar hasta morir by Lope de Vega (1562-1635) and the story El doncel de don Enrique el Doliente by Mariano José de Larra (1809-1837).

The Iglesia de la Encarnación was completed in the 16th century; however, the bell tower with its pointed helmet, which is rather unusual for Spain , is a work of the early 17th century. In the 17th and 18th centuries, the side chapels were also added on both sides of the nave . The altarpiece from around 1580 was partially destroyed during the Spanish Civil War, but was later restored.

Ermita de San Roque

The Casa del Juzgado , completed in 1616/7, served as the town hall for a long time. The balcony in the middle part of the facade is framed by two men armed with clubs . In the upper wall surface there are three stone coats of arms , the middle of which is the Habsburg royal coat of arms with an attached chain of the Order of the Golden Fleece .

The Palacio del Marqués de la Merced was built at the end of the 17th century. Today it serves as a branch of the Museo de Jaén and mainly presents ceramic finds.

The two hermit churches ( Ermita de Jesús and Ermita de San Roque ) date from the 17th and 18th centuries. Century.