Agurain

Salvatierra municipality
	Agurain / Salvatierra - Town Hall (ayuntamiento)
Basic data
Autonomous Community :	Basque Country
Province :	Álava
Comarca :	Cuadrilla de Salvatierra
Coordinates	42 ° 51 ′ N , 2 ° 23 ′ W Coordinates: 42 ° 51 ′ N , 2 ° 23 ′ W
Height :	605 msnm
Area :	37.77 km²
Residents :	5,062 (Jan 1, 2019)
Population density :	134.02 inhabitants / km²
Postal code :	01200
Municipality number ( INE ):	01051
administration
Website :	Agurain / Salvatierra

Agurain ( spanish Salvatierra , officially Salvatierra / Agurain ) is a place and a 5,062 inhabitants (at January 1, 2019) scoring northern Spanish municipality in the province of Alava in the Basque Country . The old town center of the small town on a branch of the Way of St. James (Camino de Santiago) coming from San Sebastián was recognized in 1975 as a cultural asset ( Bien de Interés Cultural ) in the category Conjunto histórico-artístico .

Location and climate

Agurain / Salvatierra is located on the south bank of the still young Río Zadorra at an altitude of approx. 605 m . The next largest city is the provincial capital Vitoria-Gasteiz , about 27 km to the west ; the Navarre city of Pamplona is about 69 km to the east. The climate is temperate to warm; Rain (approx. 890 mm / year) falls over the year.

Population development

year	1857	1900	1950	2000	2017
Residents	1,588	1,393	2,296	4.014	5,025

As a result of by the mechanization of agriculture farming and the abandonment small businesses caused rural exodus , the population of the town increased since the end of the 19th century continuously on and on. The municipality also includes the hamlets of Alangua , Arrizala , Egileor , Iturrieta and Opakua .

economy

For centuries, the residents of the community lived on agriculture, self-sufficient , in which cattle breeding played an essential role. Because of the central location of Agurain / Salvatierra, handicrafts, trade and smaller service companies gradually developed. Today there is an industrial area (polígono industrial) outside the small town. Since the last decades of the 20th century tourism has been added as a source of income for the municipality.

history

Dolmen de Sorginetxe

Iglesia Santa María

Iglesia San Juan Bautista

Already in the 4th millennium BC The megalithic dolmen de Sorginetxe was built in the area of the hamlet of Arrizala .

Later, hunters and shepherds ( transhumants ) roamed the area.

Permanent settlement is assumed for the time before the arrival of the Romans , who in the 2nd and 1st centuries BC. Conquered the Iberian Peninsula ; the road connecting Asturica Augusta (now Astorga ) and Burdigala (now Bordeaux ) led through the town. Visigoths and Moors left no archaeologically usable traces, but the region had belonged to the Emirate of Córdoba since 756 . After the reconquest ( reconquista ) in 824, the area belonged to the Kingdom of Pamplona , which later became the Kingdom of Navarre . Alfonso VIII of Castile conquered western Navarre around 1200. Agurain himself was granted privileges ( foros ) in 1256 by King Alfonso X of Castile ; incidentally, it was given the Spanish name Salvatierra . In the second half of the 14th century it came under Navarre control again for four years. In 1463, along with Vitoria , Miranda de Ebro , Pancorbo and Sajazarra , the municipality was one of the five founding cities of the Brotherhood of Álava .

Attractions

The Dolmen de Sorginetxe , located approx. 4.5 km south of the village, consists of several 4 m high orthostats and a cover plate. It can be assumed that it was formerly covered by a tumulus made of smaller stones.
In the old town center there are several former noble palaces with stone coats of arms .
The church of Santa María was built around 1500 in the late Gothic style . Between the side buttresses there are several walkways that characterize the building as a fortified church ; this impression is supported by the towering, unstructured walls and the high-lying windows. The single-aisle interior contains an altarpiece from 1530 and a richly carved gallery .
The church of San Juan Bautista was built about 100 years later and shows clear style influences of the Renaissance . The polygonal broken portal porch with an antique frieze below the eaves and vase attachments in the corners is noteworthy. The interior also has a carved altar that is worth seeing with panel paintings from the late 16th century.
The pilgrim hospital of San Lázaro y Santa María Magdalena is mentioned in a document from 1487. It was later rebuilt after the nationalization of church property ( desamortisación ) in 1839 and sold to a private citizen.
Today's town hall is located on the site of the former Ermita de San Martín , from which some components were incorporated.
The former convent of the Poor Clares with the Church of San Pedro was established in 1611.