Los Balbases

Los Balbases parish
Los Balbases - View of the town with both churches
coat of arms	Map of Spain
Basic data
Autonomous Community :	Castile and León
Province :	Burgos
Comarca :	Odra-Pisuerga
Coordinates	42 ° 13 ′  N , 4 ° 4 ′  W Coordinates: 42 ° 13 ′  N , 4 ° 4 ′  W
Height :	815  msnm
Area :	64.37 km²
Residents :	324 (Jan 1, 2019)
Population density :	5.03 inhabitants / km²
Postal code :	09119
Municipality number  ( INE ):	09034
administration
Website :	Los Balbases

Los Balbases is a place and a rural municipality ( municipio ) in northern Spain with 324 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2019) in the west of the province of Burgos in the autonomous community of Castile-León .

Location and climate

The place Los Balbases is located in the Castilian plateau ( meseta ) approx. 38 km (driving distance) southwest of Burgos or a good 13 km southeast of the place Castrojeriz on the Way of St. James at an altitude of approx. 800 to 815  m . The climate is temperate to warm; Rain (approx. 525 mm / year) falls over the year.

Population development

year	1857	1900	1950	2000	2017
Residents	1,274	1,242	998	368	306

The mechanization of agriculture and the abandonment of small farms have led to a significant decline in the number of inhabitants since the middle of the 20th century.

economy

The inhabitants of the rural community live mainly from agriculture (agriculture and cattle breeding). Since the 1960s, the summer rental of holiday homes (casas rurales) has also played a certain economic role. At the turn of the millennium, three wind farms with a total output of around 150 MW were installed on the surrounding mountains .

history

Celtic , Roman , Visigoth and even Moorish traces are missing. The place might arose only after the reconquest ( reconquista ) of the Duero limit (around 1030) by the Christians; it grew rapidly, because in the late 13th century two late Romanesque - early Gothic churches were built. In 1621 Philip IV established the " Margraviate Los Balbases" and appointed his general Ambrosio Spinola as the first margrave; this became known through the picture The Surrender of Breda by Diego Velázquez .

Iglesia de San Millán

Iglesia de San Esteban

Attractions

• The three-aisled Iglesia de San Millán is dedicated to St. Consecrated to Aemilianus of Cogolla . The main attraction is the five-step archivolt portal on the south side with its figure decorations in the arches. The entire choir area with its three apses was renewed in the 16th century. The late baroque altarpiece (retablo) was created in the years 1780–1784; it contains several panels in the Spanish-Flemish style from the late 15th century with scenes from the life of St. Millán.
• The also three-aisled hall church Iglesia de San Esteban is consecrated to the arch martyr Stephen ; it is a few decades younger and is sometimes considered a fortified church (iglesia fortificada) . The Gothic portal is also staggered in depth, but without any figurative decoration. The three naves are covered by star vaults; the entire apse is occupied by an altar retable from the late 18th century, in which panel paintings from around 1500 are also incorporated.
• The attached parish museum (Museo Parroquial de San Esteban) presents numerous works of sacred art and handicrafts.

Web links

Commons : Los Balbases  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Los Balbases, churches - 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. ↑ Los Balbases - climate tables
3. ↑ Los Balbases - Population Development
4. ↑ Los Balbases - History
5. ↑ Los Balbases - San Millán Church
6. ↑ Los Balbases - Church of San Millán, altarpiece
7. ↑ Los Balbases - Church of San Esteban
8. ↑ Los Balbases - Church of San Esteban