Ayllón (Segovia)

Ayllón municipality
	Ayllón - central square with town hall and churches
Basic data
Autonomous Community :	Castile and León
Province :	Segovia
Comarca :	Tierras de Riaza
Coordinates	41 ° 25 ′ N , 3 ° 23 ′ W Coordinates: 41 ° 25 ′ N , 3 ° 23 ′ W
Height :	970 msnm
Area :	128.95 km²
Residents :	1,196 (Jan 1, 2019)
Population density :	9.27 inhabitants / km²
Postal code :	40520
Municipality number ( INE ):	40024
administration
Website :	Ayllón

Ayllón is a place and a northern Spanish municipality ( municipio ) consisting of several hamlets (pedanías) and individual farms (fincas) with a total of 1,196 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2019) in the province of Segovia in the autonomous community of Castile-León . The center of Ayllón, which was built in the Middle Ages and early modern times, was recognized as a Bien de Interés Cultural in the category Conjunto histórico-artístico as early as 1973 .

Location and climate

The municipality, which - besides the main town - consists of the hamlets of Estebanvela, Francos, Grado del Pico, Saldaña de Ayllón, Santa María de Riaza, Santibáñez de Ayllón and Valvieja , lies partly on the Río Aguisejo , a tributary of the Río Riaza ; it is located about 85 to 95 km (driving distance) northeast of Segovia at an average altitude of about 970 m . The climate is harsh in winter, but temperate to warm in summer; Rain (approx. 485 mm / year) falls over the year.

Population development

year	1857	1900	1950	2000	2017
Residents	935	1,222	1,347	1,216	1,212

Ayllón is one of the few municipalities in the province of Segovia whose population has remained largely constant - however, also due to the incorporation in the 1960s and 1970s.

economy

Agriculture, including dairy and pasture farming, played the most important role in the community's self - sufficient economic life for centuries . Dealers, craftsmen and service providers of all kinds also settled in the small town itself. The improvement of the infrastructure in the 20th century led to a regionalization of the sales markets.

history

Both Celts and Romans , Visigoths and the Arab-Moorish armies, which penetrated far to the north in the 8th century, left only a few traces on the municipality. Even before the reconquest ( reconquista ) Segovia in 1085 by Alfonso VI. the area was populated by Christians from the north and south of the Iberian Peninsula ( repoblación ) . On October 31, 1411, a peace treaty between the kingdoms of Castile and Portugal was signed in Ayllón ; A few months later, the Leyes de Ayllón were followed by discriminatory provisions against Jews and Moors . Around the middle of the 15th century, Don Álvaro de Luna , one of the most important people of his time, settled in Ayllón. Ayllón was also one of the places where the Mesta Council met several times a year .

Attractions

Ayllón

On a hill in front of the gates of the city, which rises Torre vigía La Martina , one with a bell tower (espadaña) equipped watchtower from the 16th century.
The most important buildings of the small town are grouped around the central square (Plaza Mayor) : the town hall (ayuntamiento) , the churches of Santa María la Mayor and San Miguel with their representative portal and loggias.
The city palaces of wealthy landowners and aristocratic families can be found in the adjacent alleys. B. the Palacio de los Contreras with its richly decorated facade and the Palacio del Obispo Vellosillo
On the outskirts are the convents of the Franciscans and the Concepcionistas , a women's order that was founded in 1892 and dedicated to the education of children and young people.

Torre vigía La Martina
City gate with defense bay (Arco medieval)
Palacio de los Contreras
Franciscan monastery
Convento de las Concepcionistas

Santibañez de Ayllón

The hamlet of Santibañez de Ayllón impresses with its closed townscape on the Río Aguisejo

Santa María de Riaza

The Iglesia de la Navidad with its elongated arcade facade ( portico or galería porticada) on the south side is one of the most impressive Romanesque church buildings in the province of Segovia.

Grado del Pico

The church of San Pedro in the hamlet of Grado del Pico also has a south facade - although it was bricked up at a later time - with numerous Romanesque capitals and console figures .