Santovenia

Santovenia municipality
Santovenia - town view
coat of arms	Map of Spain
Basic data
Autonomous Community :	Castile and León
Province :	Zamora
Comarca :	Benavente y Los Valles
Coordinates	41 ° 53 '  N , 5 ° 43'  W Coordinates: 41 ° 53 '  N , 5 ° 43'  W
Height :	715  msnm
Area :	32.86 km²
Residents :	241 (Jan. 1, 2019)
Population density :	7.33 inhabitants / km²
Postal code :	49750
Municipality number  ( INE ):	49207
administration
Website :	Santovenia

Fountain (fuente) , cattle trough (abrevadero) and washing area (lavadero)

Santovenia is a town in northern Spain and the capital of a municipality (municipio) with 241 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2019 ) in the province of Zamora in the autonomous Spanish region of Castile-León . The place is on a branch of the Camino de Santiago that comes from the south ( Seville , Mérida , Cáceres , Salamanca and Zamora ) and joins the main route in León or Astorga .

Location and climate

The place Santovenia is located in the Iberian plateau (meseta) about 46 km (driving distance) north of the provincial capital Zamora at about 715  m altitude on a hill about 2 km east of the river Esla . The winter temperatures are quite cool, whereas in summer it is warm to hot; the sparse rainfall (approx. 420 mm / year) falls throughout the year with the exception of the summer months.

Population development

year	1857	1900	1950	2000	2017
Residents	555	791	1,157	431	273

The significant population decline since the 1950s is essentially due to the mechanization of agriculture and the abandonment of small farms and the resulting lack of jobs in rural areas ( rural exodus ).

economy

The Agriculture formed the basis of life for as has always been self surviving population of the region; Craftsmen, small traders and service providers of all kinds settled in the village.

history

Although the place was on Via de la Plata , which was already in use in antiquity , Celtic, Roman, Visigoth and even Moorish traces have not yet been found. The earliest mention of the place name Santa Ovenia comes from a document from 1167. Later it was in the possession of the dukes and counts of Benavente .

Sights and culture

• The Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Tobar , built largely from rubble stones , seems to date from the 16th / 17th centuries. Century to date; the eastern parts were in 17./18. Century renewed in Mudejar style . The bell gable (espadaña) made of precisely hewn stones also seems to be of more recent date.

Surroundings

• At the foot of the village there is a spring with an attached well and cattle trough .

Web links

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

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. ↑ Santovenia - climate tables
3. ↑ Santovenia - Population Development