Cigales

Cigales parish
	Cigales - Iglesia de Santiago
Basic data
Autonomous Community :	Castile and León
Province :	Valladolid
Comarca :	Campiña del Pisuerga
Coordinates	41 ° 45 ′ N , 4 ° 42 ′ W Coordinates: 41 ° 45 ′ N , 4 ° 42 ′ W
Height :	745 msnm
Area :	60.97 km²
Residents :	5,235 (Jan 1, 2019)
Population density :	85.86 inhabitants / km²
Postal code :	47270
Municipality number ( INE ):	47050
administration
Website :	Cigales

Cigales is a northern Spanish town and a municipality ( municipio ) with 5,235 inhabitants (at January 1, 2019) in the province of Valladolid in the autonomous community of Castile and Leon . The place is the center of the " Cigales DO " wine-growing region .

Location and climate

The place Cigales is located near the Autovía A-62 at an altitude of approx. 745 m . The distance to the southern provincial capital Valladolid is just under 15 km (driving distance). The climate in winter is harsh, but in summer it is dry and warm; the rather sparse rain (approx. 430 mm / year) falls mainly in the winter half-year.

Population development

year	1857	1900	1950	2000	2017
Residents	3,908	2,260	2,249	2,802	5,067

Because of the mechanization of agriculture and the abandonment of small farms, many workers and their families migrated to the larger cities in the 20th century ( rural exodus ); however, because of its proximity to the city of Valladolid, the population has grown considerably since the 1990s.

economy

The area around Cigales was and is to a large extent agricultural, with animal husbandry traditionally playing a less important role; the place offered the necessary regional services in the fields of handicraft and trade. Cigales is the center of the small wine-growing region " Cigales "; tourism only plays a subordinate role.

history

Small Neolithic finds were made in the municipality . Around 500 BC The area was inhabited by the Celtic ethnic group of the Vaccaeans . In the 2nd century, the Romans brought large parts of the Iberian Peninsula under their control; they brought the art of viticulture with them. In the 5th century AD the Vandals came , but they were pushed to North Africa by the Visigoths . In the 8th century, Arab-Moorish armies penetrated far to the north, but were unable to conquer some areas ( Basque Country , Cantabria , Asturias ). Already in the 10th and 11th centuries they were pushed south by Christian armies ( reconquista ) , with the Duero valley delimiting the respective spheres of influence for a long time. The town of Cigales, north of the Duero, was first mentioned in a document in 1110; in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries it gained importance.

Attractions

Interior of the church

The two-towered Iglesia de Santiago is dedicated to the apostle James the Elder. Ä. consecrated and was built in several construction phases between 1535 and 1772. The unadorned west facade is by Rodrigo Gil de Hontañón ; the south portal, on the other hand, is much more structured. The three vessels (naves) of the Hall Church are by brick columns separated from each other; the three apses are equally high and equally deep. The central apse shows a classicist-baroque altarpiece with a central equestrian figure by Santiago Matamoros ; the side figures of Peter and Paul were made by the sculptor Gregorio Fernández . Several smaller altars adorn the aisle walls; The wrought-iron pulpit and a classical baptismal font are noteworthy .
The Hospital de San Juan Evangelista , built in the 16th century, now serves as a retirement home .
The Protestant church of San Pablo, which is rare in Spain, dates from shortly after 1900; it was closed during the Franco era .
Some aristocratic houses (some with stone coats of arms) can be found throughout the city.
Some cellar vaults ( bodegas ) driven into the crumbly rock are on the outskirts.