Villaralto

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Villaralto municipality
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Villaralto (Spain)
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Basic data
Autonomous Community : Andalusia
Province : Cordoba
Comarca : Los Pedroches
Coordinates 38 ° 27 ′  N , 4 ° 59 ′  W Coordinates: 38 ° 27 ′  N , 4 ° 59 ′  W
Height : 585  msnm
Area : 24.07 km²
Residents : 1,131 (Jan 1, 2019)
Population density : 46.99 inhabitants / km²
Postal code : 14490
Municipality number  ( INE ): 14072
administration
Mayor : Ángel Gómez Fernández

Villaralto is a Spanish municipality in the province of Cordoba , Andalusia . It belongs to the Los Pedroches municipal association and covers an area of ​​24 km², had 1131 inhabitants in 2019 and is located at an altitude of 585 m above sea level , north of Córdoba , approx. 80 km from the provincial capital.

geography

The municipality is located in the heart of the Comarca de Los Pedroches and borders the municipalities of El Viso , Hinojosa del Duque , Alcaracejos , Dos Torres and Villanueva del Duque . The municipality covers 24 km². Accordingly, the population density corresponds to 60.2 E / km².

The place itself is in an agricultural area and is surrounded by several large farms. The most prominent building is the parish church of San Pedro Apóstol , a three-aisled church with a tower from the 18th century. The Ermita de Santa Rita is located on the eastern edge of the village , very close to today's outdoor swimming pool.

The streams around Villaralto belong to the catchment area of ​​the Rio Guadamatilla , which is dammed northwest of the place to the Embalse de La Colada . The Arroyo de la Higueruela del Cedrón and the Arroyo del Molinillo with their source streams (Arroyo de Solana and others) should be mentioned. The Guadarramilla River runs east of the N 502 .

history

In prehistoric times there were already several settlements in the area of ​​the place and later Roman , Moorish and Visigothic villages. Archaeological finds were made mainly at the Rincón de Berrocoso in the northeast of the municipality, where a Roman camp is suspected and a secondary Roman road runs. A large number of slates, slag containing minerals and pottery shards, as well as an Arab silver coin have been found there. El Ladrillar is an old lead mine , in which many lead-containing slags can still be found. In the Laguna del Prieto three millstones with a radius of 25 cm have appeared, which are exhibited today in the town hall. In Cerrocampo mineral slag and shards were found, which are associated with a copper and lead mine. The most famous place in this respect, however, is the Casa de la Mora in the southeast of the village, where there used to be a Roman villa, which was later occupied by the Moors and was also connected to the mining activities. There, among other objects, some vessels with silver coins and a large number of Roman copper coins were discovered. The remains of an intermediate wall made of lime and flint probably go back to Moorish renovation work. In 1985 this site was examined archaeologically. In addition, in Villaralto there are a large number of visigothic sarcophagi with a trapezoidal plan or even anthropomorphic shapes made of granite . Many were misused and removed from their original location and mostly used as fountain troughs. Therefore, today the majority of sarcophagi can be found near fountains, for example three sarcophagi at Pozo de las Cadenas , at Pozo de las Cinco Pilas , at Pozo de la Laguna de la Torrica . There are a total of 20 that are used in this way. In addition, there are some children's sarcophagi that have also been misused. However, many sarcophagi have been lost due to disinterest and renovation work.

The history of today's place begins with the year 1424. At this time about 3000 inhabitants lived in the place and a Juan Ruiz de Santofimia tried with force, but unsuccessfully, to incorporate the place into the dominion of the Señorío de Santa Eufemia . Villaralto developed into a village dependent on Torremilano ( Dos Torres ) in the 15th century , and thus belonged to the Siete Villas de Los Pedroches , which at that time included Pozoblanco , Añora , Alcaracejos, Villanueva de Córdoba , Pedroche and Torrecampo . This unit was under royal jurisdiction and existed until the 19th century. In Villaralto at that time, in addition to cattle breeding, there was also viticulture. According to a census of the diocese of Córdoba from 1587, Villaralto had 83 inhabitants and one pila . It remained dependent on Torremilano until 1633. On July 28, 1633, Philip IV sold it to Don Melchor Fernández Carreras , Archdeacon of los Pedroches and Canon of the Cathedral of Cordoba for 1,632,000 maravedíes . On September 17, 1633, the first population census of the newly created Villa Villaralto was carried out, which was followed by a serious and long-lasting conflict with Torremilano. Despite all the difficulties, Melchor Fernández Carreras took possession of the city on September 15 of the same year and founded the Señorío de Villaralto , which lasted until 1837. Torremilano protested against becoming independent (including the use of the dehesa de Peña Alta), but was ultimately rejected.

The economy did not experience a boom until the 18th century. In 1752 Villaralto had 5 looms and two cloth factories (for bayetas & paños ). In 1812 there were 179 cattle, 156 pigs, 555 goats and 148 mules in the settlement. And 259 bushels of the best arable land and 631 bushels of second quality were cultivated. The place itself had 186 houses. In 1876 Villaralto had 1853 inhabitants. There are large gaps in the community's records because much was destroyed in the Spanish Civil War . In the 1979, 1983 and 1987 elections, the PSOE was the strongest power and appointed Juan Jesús Gómez Moreno as mayor. Since 1995 the IU has been the ruling party that Manuel Gómez Gómez has appointed as mayor. When he suddenly died on October 4, 2012, Angel Gómez Fernández was elected as the new mayor on October 19, 2012 .

Attractions

Parish Church of Parroquia de San Pedro

The facade with arches made of granite dates from the time the church was founded in the 15th century. Since that time the church has received many additions. Two aisles were added to the originally single-nave church, which are covered with a cupola in the manner of small side chapels. The cultural heritage includes the painted olive wood carvings depicting the Divina Pastora (18th century), a baroque statue by Sebastián de Llanos Valdés (17th century) depicting Saint Pablo Ermitaño . The portrait of the patroness, the Virgen del Buen Suceso , was destroyed along with the altar in the civil war. Today's picture and the altar come from the Church of San Basilio in Córdoba. With a height of 17 m, the church tower is the symbol of the community. It consists of a prism-shaped granite hull and the belfry with 4 arches, only two of which carry bells. On the bell cage there is an octagonal granite end that carries the clock. The building dates back to the 18th century and was renovated in 1992. The clock was renewed, the bells electrified and the facade and decorations renewed.

Other churches

There is also the Ermita de Santa Rita from around 1900 and the Ermita del Cristo de las Angustias in Villaralto .

economy

The economy consists largely of farms. Distribution is mainly controlled by the COVAP cooperative in Pozoblanco. There are also a few handicraft businesses, small industrial companies and several restaurants and bars in the village.

Culture

Villaralto
Iglesia de San Pedro. Noviembre de 2011
Iglesia de San Pedro. Noviembre de 2011
Museo del Pastor, sobre una casa antigua rehabilitada. Noviembre de 2011
Rincon típico en the centro de la población. Noviembre de 2011
Paseo con palmeras en la Federico García Lorca street, en el camino a Dos Torres. Noviembre de 2011
Centro de la población. Noviembre de 2011
Imagen de la Virgen de Buensuceso, patrona del pueblo, colocada en un lateral de la iglesia. Noviembre de 2011
Terraza del bar - restaurant "El Paisa". Noviembre de 2011
Calle Buensuceso, in the corazón del pueblo. Noviembre de 2011
Iglesia de San Pedro. Verano de 2013

The most important festival is the Romería de la Divina Pastora pilgrimage , which takes place on the first Sunday in May on the banks of the Rio Guadamatilla. In the Semana Santa , several processions take place by the brotherhoods of the Hermandades del Sepulcro , las Angustias and Borriquita . On Easter Sunday there is the tradition of la Matanza y los judas (killing of Judas ). The youngsters smash figures of Judas Iscariot, which were made for this and placed on the balconies in the neighborhood. The typical buildings in Villaralto are mainly characterized by their functionality. Many have granite doorposts and stables for cattle and pigs.

A few years ago the Museo del Pastor was opened, in which the culture and way of life of the shepherds is presented in a typical house in Villaralto.

Villaralto in the film

Villaralto appears several times in the film La Marrana (The Battle Pig; 1992) by José Luis Cuerda .

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. villaralto.es

literature

  • Mancomunidad de Los Pedroches: Los Pedroches. Mancomunidad de Municipios, Cordoba. Guia Turistica 1998. CO-1,388-1998.

Web links

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