Grijota

Grijota municipality
Grijota - Iglesia Santa Cruz
coat of arms	Map of Spain
Basic data
Autonomous Community :	Castile and León
Province :	Palencia
Comarca :	Tierra de Campos
Coordinates	42 ° 3 ′  N , 4 ° 35 ′  W Coordinates: 42 ° 3 ′  N , 4 ° 35 ′  W
Height :	750  msnm
Area :	28.58 km²
Residents :	2,319 (Jan 1, 2019)
Population density :	81.14 inhabitants / km²
Postal code :	34192
Municipality number  ( INE ):	34079
administration
Website :	Grijota

Grijota is a small town and capital of a municipality ( municipio ) consisting of several settlement centers in the province of Palencia in the autonomous community of Castile and León .

location

Grijota is located on the southeast arm of the Canal de Castilla in the southeast of the Tierra de Campos, just under 8 km (driving distance) northwest of Palencia at an altitude of about 750 m above sea level. d. M. The climate in winter is quite cold, but in summer it is warm to hot; the sparse rain (approx. 440 mm / year) falls throughout the year.

Population development

year	1842	1900	1950	2000	2016
Residents	k. A.	1,283	1,309	819	2,177

The population decline in the second half of the 20th century is mainly due to the mechanization of agriculture and the associated loss of jobs. In 2004, a new settlement with a golf course was inaugurated approx. 1 km southeast of the village, which led to a new population surge.

economy

Agriculture (less livestock) has always played the most important role for the population of the region, but as early as the Middle Ages, handicrafts and trade developed alongside pilgrimage tourism. Because of its proximity to the city of Palencia, Grijota has now mutated into a “dormitory city”.

history

The Celtic tribe of the Vacceans were the first known settlers in the region, followed by the Romans and Visigoths . In the 8th century the area was overrun by the Moors , but as early as the 9th century Asturian-Leonese armies recaptured the areas north of the Duero ( reconquista ). At the end of the 10th century, the Moorish military leader Almansor temporarily wiped out the Christian successes, but in the 11th century the Kingdom of León expanded its territory again to the Duero border. After previous attempts, León finally united with the Kingdom of Castile in 1230 . The place experienced its heyday in the late Middle Ages and in the early modern period.

Attractions

Lock on the Canal de Castilla

• The Iglesia de Santa Cruz , built entirely from stone , was built in the 16th century during the Renaissance . The construction of the bell tower by Juan de la Cuesta is documented for the year 1591. The entrance, protected by a portico ( galería porticada ), is on the south side. The stucco vault of the nave shows a clear Renaissance ornamentation; the apse is flat.
• The late Romanesque church of the Ermita de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles , which may have once belonged to a monastery, is located on the western edge of the town center. Its outer walls are stabilized and structured by buttresses ; A partially figural console frieze runs under the eaves . Its portal, slightly pointed at the top, is on the south side. The nave shows a pointed barrel vault supported by belt arches , which is slightly higher than that of the apse , in which there is a beautiful figure capital with scenes from the childhood story of Jesus Christ .

Surroundings

• The Canal de Castilla and its locks are a 19th century work.

Web links

Commons : Grijota  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Grijota, sights - photos + information (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. ↑ Grijota - map with altitude information
3. ↑ Palencia / Grijota - climate diagrams
4. ↑ Grijota - population development
5. ↑ Grijota - Ermita