Villavelayo

Canales de la Sierra municipality
Villavelayo - town view
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Basic data
Autonomous Community :	La Rioja
Comarca :	Anguiano
Coordinates	42 ° 8 ′  N , 2 ° 59 ′  W Coordinates: 42 ° 8 ′  N , 2 ° 59 ′  W
Height :	940  msnm
Area :	89.07 km²
Residents :	50 (Jan. 1, 2019)
Population density :	0.56 inhabitants / km²
Postal code :	26329
Municipality number  ( INE ):	26175
administration
Website :	Villavelayo

Villavelayo is a remote, small mountain village and a municipality ( municipio ) belonging to the poorly populated region of the Serranía Celtibérica with only 50 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2019) in the southwest of the autonomous community of La Rioja in Spain .

location

The place Villavelayo is located near the border with the province of Burgos at the confluence of the Río Neila in the Río Najerilla at an altitude of about 940  m . The distance to the provincial capital Logroño (approx. 82 km to the northeast) is about the same as to Burgos (approx. 87 km northwest) or to Soria (approx. 90 km southeast). The climate is temperate to warm; Rain (approx. 850 mm / year) falls mainly in the winter half-year.

Population development

year	1857	1900	1950	2001	2018
Residents	383	437	289	92	48

As a result of the mechanization of agriculture , the abandonment of small farms and the resulting lower demand for labor, the number of residents has declined sharply since the 1950s.

economy

The small mountain village was and is largely shaped by agriculture, especially cattle breeding (milk, cheese). In earlier times, the place served as a handicraft and market center for a few - now mostly abandoned - smaller farmhouses and hamlets in the area. Tourism (hiking and holiday apartments) has played an important role as a source of income for the community since the middle of the 20th century.

history

Due to the geographical location of the place, early settlement is likely. In the Middle Ages, the place belonged to the property of the San Pedro de Arlanza monastery about 50 km to the west , which, however, sold it to the landlord Cameros family in 1246 , whose members remained the lords of the place until 1821.

Attractions

• The originally Romanesque , but later largely rebuilt Iglesia Parroquial de Santa María de la Asunción is dedicated to the Assumption of Mary . The western facade, the portal and the baptismal font (pila bautismal) with rich reliefs are still preserved from the Romanesque church . The church also has a silver processional cross from the 15th century and a gilded baroque carved altar in the flat, closed apse .
• A chapel (ermita) is St. Dedicated to Áurea or Oria, a hermit of the 11th century who was only revered regionally.

Web links

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

• Romanesque churches etc. in the valley of the Río Najerilla - photos + information (Spanish)

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. ↑ Villavelayo - Population Development
3. ↑ Villavelayo Church
4. ↑ Villavelayo Church