Villatuerta

Villatuerta municipality
Villatuerta
coat of arms	Map of Spain
Basic data
Autonomous Community :	Navarre
Comarca :	Tierra de Estella
Coordinates	42 ° 40 ′  N , 2 ° 0 ′  W Coordinates: 42 ° 40 ′  N , 2 ° 0 ′  W
Height :	425  msnm
Area :	23.59 km²
Residents :	1,191 (Jan 1, 2019)
Population density :	50.49 inhabitants / km²
Postal code :	31132
Municipality number  ( INE ):	31257
administration
Mayor :	Iñaki Suso Espadas (2005)
Website :	www.villatuerta.org
Location of the municipality

Villatuerta is a place on the Camino de Santiago Camino Francés in Spanish-speaking part of the Autonomous Community of Navarra in Spain .

Villatuerta is located on the Río Iranzu, which divides it into a lower and an upper village. The upper village is the older part, here are the parish church, the town hall and the old frontón . In the lower village there are shops, the school, sports facilities, a health center, the pharmacy and the local bank branch. The youngest part of Villatuertas are the new residential areas that were built between the upper village and the Estella – Tafalla road.

designation

The name of the place is of Roman origin (vilatorta) and derives from the Latin tortus = twisted, crooked. It is assumed that the Romans redesignated an existing place according to its geographical shape. The population is likely to have been Basques according to the surrounding settlement . Possibly the village was called Arandibarren (barren = inside) because the nearby place Arandigoyen contains a delimiting attribute (goyen = upper), so that there were probably two different places of this name.

history

As evidence of the Roman period, excavations in the municipality found a tombstone with the inscription "Octavia Prudentis filia annorum XXX" (daughter of Prudens, 30 years old) and a picture of a hunter with two deer who is now in the Museo de Navarra in Pamplona is located.

There is no further evidence until the end of the 10th century. Between 971 and 979 a certain Belenceres designed a stone monument called Lápida, which commemorates the inauguration of today's Ermita de San Miguel. At that time it was the church of the Benedictine monastery in the so-called Cuesta del Moro, a good half a kilometer from the village. The Lápida is now also in the Museo de Navarra in Pamplona.

In 1020, San Veremundo, abbot of the Monastery of Irache , was born here and there were the Jaureguizar (noble ancestors of the saint). Later other noble families and landlords are also mentioned: García López de Aranzadi (11th century), the Sancho Hermenodes (12th century), the Auberna (14th century), the Izcue, the Marqués de Narro and Doña Sancha, among others . In 1054 King Sancho IV closed the monastery of San Miguel de Villatuerta to the Leyre .

From 1085, the year in which the Virgin of Puy is said to have appeared in Estella , the pilgrims of St. James took a new route here: Instead of moving to the monastery of Irache via Noveleta and Zarapúz monastery , they went via Cuesta del Moro to Puy, the place of the apparition above Estella, founded by Sancho Ramírez five years later . Villatuerta lacked a place of retreat such as a castle or a defense tower until 1200; the inhabitants tried to protect themselves by fleeing into underground passages, some of which are still hidden. A defense tower was built in the 13th and 14th centuries, which was partially destroyed again in 1378 when the town was pillaged by the Castilian troops.

In 1342 Philip the Noble and Queen Juana bought the village from its landlord, Sancho Sánchiz de Medrano, until 1630 it experienced further changes of ownership.

Because Villatuerta to the Middle Ages without protective equipment was, it was pulled in almost all wars in this area affected by the war against Castile, the number of families from 80 to 23 decreased, even in the War of Independence against the Napoleonic France and the Carlist wars had the village mourned victims, the latter claiming at least 23 lives. In 1839, with the secularization , the Benedictines had to leave Irache. The relics of San Veremundo were transferred to Ayegui. Villatuerta and Arellano had them convicted again and in 1841 they agreed to house the urn together in such a way that each of the two villages would keep the urn for five years.

In the last few years the place has changed significantly. On the one hand, the economic basis shifted from agriculture to industry; on the other hand, Villatuerta is now part of the Estella catchment area thanks to the improved transport connections, which can be clearly seen in the development of the population.

The twin town in France is La Bastide Clairence in Aquitaine .

Population development of the municipality

Source: INE archive - graphic processing for Wikipedia

Attractions

Ermita de San Miguel Arcángel

• Parish church Iglesia de la Anunciación de Nuestra Señora (Annunciation). Erected in the late Romanesque style in the 13th century , destroyed by Castilian troops in 1378 and rebuilt in Gothic style. The main retable dates from the 17th century and was created by Pedro Izquierdo and Juan Imberto III. Until the completion of the church, the congregation took part in the service in the monastery church in the absence of its own place of worship.
• Ermita de San Miguel Arcángel ( Archangel Michael ), remnant of the former monastery that dates back to 1062. The iconographically important sandstone reliefs are now kept in the Museo de Navarra, Pamplona.
• Cross stick at the crossroads of the Grocin and Arandigoyen roads . It seems that there was a hermitage dedicated to Saint Mark near the crossing.
• Ermita de San Román (calle San Veremundo), under restoration, will later be used as a cultural center.
• medieval bridge with two pointed round arches.

sport and freetime

There are two sports clubs in Villatuerta. Teams of different age groups train at Club Ciclista Ondalán (cycling) and Club Deportivo Ondalán. A grass field and a sports hall, which is also used for various types of pelota, are used as training locations. There is also an outdoor swimming pool, which is usually open from June 1st to September 15th.

Fiestas

• The patron saint is celebrated on August 15th in honor of Mary . It usually begins on August 14th and ends on August 18th, as in Pamplona with the common sung "Pobre de mí".
• The village celebrates the festival in honor of San Veremundo on March 8th. This date is literally there: "Mientras el mundo sea mundo, el 8 de marzo San Veremundo" (May the world be what it is, on March 8th (we celebrate) San Veremundo.)

Sons and daughters of the place

• Veremundo, saint, * 1020, † 1092, also the nearby Arellano regards itself as the place of birth. Between 1056 and 1093 he was abbot of the Irache monastery. During this time, the monastery reached its greatest splendor, while the adjoining pilgrims' hostel made the monastery an indispensable stop for all pilgrims.

literature

• Míllan Bravo Lozano: Practical pilgrim guide. The Camino de Santiago. Editorial Everest, Léon 1994, ISBN 84-241-3835-X .
• Jesús Carmelo Boleas Maestu: Paseos por la Solana y Yerri desde Villatuerta . Villatuerta, Gráficas Lizarra, 2003 (Spanish)

Web links

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

• Information about the Camino Francés

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. ↑ Location information from the regional government of Navarre (Spanish)

Navigation bar St. James " Camino Francés "

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