Bonilla de la Sierra

Bonilla de la Sierra municipality
Bonilla de la Sierra - Collegiate Church
coat of arms	Map of Spain
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Basic data
Autonomous Community :	Castile and León
Province :	Ávila
Comarca :	El Barco de Ávila-Piedrahíta
Coordinates	40 ° 32 ′  N , 5 ° 16 ′  W Coordinates: 40 ° 32 ′  N , 5 ° 16 ′  W
Height :	1080  msnm
Area :	55.06 km²
Residents :	120 (Jan. 1, 2019)
Population density :	2.18 inhabitants / km²
Postal code :	05514
Municipality number  ( INE ):	05038
administration
Website :	Bonilla de la Sierra

Bonilla de la Sierra is a place and a municipality ( municipio ) in northern Spain with 120 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2019) in the province of Avila in the autonomous community of Castile and León . The old town center was classified as a cultural asset ( Bien de Interés Cultural ) in the Conjunto histórico-artístico category.

location

The place Bonilla de la Sierra is located on a hill in the Sierra de Gredos at an altitude of about 1080  m . The distance to the northeastern provincial capital Ávila is almost 60 km (driving distance); the city of Salamanca is a good 82 km to the north-west. The climate in winter is cool, in summer it is quite warm despite the altitude; the low amounts of precipitation (approx. 460 mm / year) fall - with the exception of the almost rainless summer months - distributed over the whole year.

Population development

year	1857	1900	1950	2000	2017
Residents	927	1,017	977	195	124

The enormous decline in population since the 1950s is essentially due to the mechanization of agriculture , the abandonment of small farms and the associated loss of jobs.

economy

Agriculture, especially cattle breeding, traditionally plays the largest role in the economic life of the small mountain community. A little tourism in the form of renting holiday homes (casas rurales) has been added in the last decades of the 20th century.

history

Two rock grottos with altars from prehistoric times, which could be reached via steps carved into the rock, were discovered in the vicinity of the place at the end of the 20th century. Romans , Visigoths and Arabs or Moors left no traces. After the reconquest ( reconquista ) and repopulation ( repoblación ) of the area between the Duero and Tagus rivers in the 11th and 12th centuries, Bonilla (bonna villa) belonged to the diocese of Ávila . Bishop Lope de Barrientos had the castle built in the early 15th century, which subsequently served as a secluded retreat and guest house.

Attractions

Bonilla de la Sierra - side streets in the Plaza Mayor

• The main attraction of Bonilla is the old town center around the main square with its small alleys and the adjoining half-timbered or field stone houses , all of which are dilapidated.
• In the main square itself there is a stone cross from the 14th century; on its base in the 15./16. Century a stone heraldic shield was attached.
• Only a few parts of the medieval castle (castillo) of the bishops of Ávila - including the keep (torre del homenaje) and the remains of three defense towers - have been preserved. The complex is privately owned.
• A medieval stepwell is extraordinary , the partially vaulted staircase of which leads down to a cistern (aljibe) .
• A medieval stone bridge (Puente de Chuy) rises about 500 m north of the village.
• The late Gothic collegiate church of San Martín was started after the completion of the Cathedral of Ávila (1429) and possibly completed in 1513; only the block-like tower is likely to come from a previous building. With the exception of two portals, the exterior of the building is largely unadorned; the single-aisle interior impresses with its width of almost 17 m and the perfect stone processing, which also includes a sermon pulpit partially embedded in the wall . The simple pointed barrel vault made of brick with belt arch beams made of stone in the nave is unusual ; the choir area, on the other hand, has a rib vault with star motifs, which was common for the time . In 1514 the original altarpiece with scenes from the life of St. Martin of Tours ; this has been lost, but some of the old panels have been integrated into its successor from 1701.

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  Collegiate Church of San Martín

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  portal

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  Stone pulpit

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  Nave with altarpieces

Personalities

• Alonso Fernández de Madrigal , also known as El Tostado (around 1400 / 10–1455), theologian, man of letters and bishop of Avila , died in Bonilla de la Sierra.

Web links

Commons : Bonilla de la Sierra  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Bonilla de la Sierra, Buildings - Photos + Info (Spanish)
• Bonilla de la Sierra, Buildings - Photos + Info (Spanish)
• Bonilla de la Sierra, Buildings - Photos + Info (Spanish)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Cifras oficiales de población resultantes de la revisión del Padrón municipal a 1 de enero . Population statistics from the Instituto Nacional de Estadística (population update).
2. ↑ Bonilla de la Sierra - Map with altitude information
3. ↑ Bonilla de la Sierra - Climate tables
4. ↑ Bonilla de la Sierra - population development
5. ↑ Bonilla de la Sierra - History  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.