Santa Olalla del Cala

Santa Olalla del Cala municipality
	Aroche - town view with castle and church
Basic data
Autonomous Community :	Andalusia
Province :	Huelva
Comarca :	Sierra de Huelva
Coordinates	37 ° 54 ′ N , 6 ° 14 ′ W Coordinates: 37 ° 54 ′ N , 6 ° 14 ′ W
Height :	520 msnm
Area :	202.93 km²
Residents :	2,001 (Jan. 1, 2019)
Population density :	9.86 inhabitants / km²
Postal code :	21260
Municipality number ( INE ):	21069
administration
Website :	Santa Olalla del Cala

Santa Olalla del Cala is a place and a municipality ( municipio ) with 2,001 inhabitants (as of 2019) in the northeast of the southern Spanish province of Huelva in the autonomous community of Andalusia .

location

The place Santa Olalla del Cala is located on a hill in the western part of the Sierra Morena a good 150 km (driving distance) northeast of the port city of Huelva at an altitude of approx. 520 m above sea level. d. The climate in winter is temperate, in summer it is warm to hot; the low amounts of precipitation (approx. 635 mm / year) fall - with the exception of the almost rainless summer months - distributed over the whole year.

Population development

year	1857	1900	1950	2000	2016
Residents	2.005	2,981	3,766	2,244	2,042

The significant population decline in the second half of the 20th century is essentially due to the mechanization of agriculture and the associated loss of jobs.

economy

While the surrounding area was largely agricultural for centuries, small traders, craftsmen and service providers of all kinds also settled in the village.

history

Small finds from prehistoric and Celtic times were made in the municipality . In Roman times the place, which at that time was possibly called Ponciana , was located on the Via de la Plata , a north-south connection that connected Hispalis ( Seville ) with Asturica Augusta ( Astorga ). In the course of the reconquest ( reconquista ) of the former Christian areas in the south of the Iberian Peninsula from the hands of the Moors , the city was taken over by the Leonese King Alfonso VI around 1083 . (reg. 1065-1109) captured; Surrounded by a city wall, it was besieged by the Almohads in the 12th century . The final recapture of large parts of southern Spain was achieved in the 30s and 40s of the 13th century by the troops of the Leonese-Castilian king Ferdinand III. (ruled 1230–1252), but the area remained controversial between Castile and Portugal for a long time .

Attractions

Castle (castillo)

The most important building is the castle (castillo) standing on the western edge of the town and enclosing an area of approx. 132 × 45 m . It was built at the end of the 13th century and probably had no predecessor from the Moorish era. The outer walls, which were built from only slightly hewn rubble stones, have an only partially preserved crenellated crown and are secured and at the same time stabilized by 10 towers.

The Iglesia de San Pedro Apóstol was built in the 16th century instead of a simple previous building. Its walls consist of a mixture of natural stone and brick, but the church building itself is plastered; the bell storey of the tower burned down in 1721 and was replaced exclusively with bricks. The three-aisled interior shows more classical or neoclassical forms, which can also be found in the high altar.

The Iglesia de San Julián is located on the outskirts and was rebuilt in the Mudejar style in the late 16th century by the Count of Orgaz in place of a previous building, of which the apse is still preserved . In the following centuries the church served as the burial place of the count family. The interior of the church shows nine altarpieces; that of the high altar shows elements of the Churriguera style such as Solomonic columns .