Yepes (Toledo)

Yepes parish
	Yepes - the village with the church of San Benito Abad
Basic data
Autonomous Community :	Castile-La Mancha
Province :	Toledo
Comarca :	Mesa de Ocaña
Coordinates	39 ° 54 ′ N , 3 ° 38 ′ W Coordinates: 39 ° 54 ′ N , 3 ° 38 ′ W
Height :	700 msnm
Area :	84.97 km²
Residents :	5,198 (Jan 1, 2019)
Population density :	61.17 inh / km²
Postal code :	45313
Municipality number ( INE ):	45202
administration
Website :	Yepes

Yepes is a small town and a central Spanish municipality with 5,198 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2019) in the province of Toledo in the Castile-La Mancha region . The historic town center is recognized as a national cultural asset ( Bien de Interés Cultural ) in the Conjunto histórico-artístico category .

Location and climate

The small town of Yepes is located in the north of the historical landscape of La Mancha approx. 40 km (driving distance) east of the city of Toledo at an altitude of approx. 700 m ; the likewise historically significant city of Aranjuez is only 17 km north. The climate in winter is harsh, but in summer it is dry and warm; the sparse rain (approx. 435 mm / year) falls mainly in the winter months.

Population development

year	1857	1900	1950	2000	2017
Residents	3,193	2,636	4,398	4,358	5,074

Immigration from the rural regions of the surrounding area has made a significant contribution to the continuous increase in the number of inhabitants.

economy

The area around Yepes was and is essentially agricultural; the people lived largely as self-sufficient . The city itself served as a craft and mercantile center for the surrounding villages. There are now several quarries and a cement plant in the area. Since the 1960s, day tourism has also become increasingly important.

history

In Celtic and Roman times the name of the place was probably Hippo or Hippona ; the current name or its modification Hepes arose under the Moors . After the successful reconquest ( reconquista ) in 1085 by the Christians under the leadership of the Leonese-Castilian king Alfonso VI. the area was repopulated ( repoblación ) . In a document from 1212 the place is described as a small village (aldea) . Since the end of the 15th century, the place flourished and was nicknamed Toledillo ("Little Toledo").

Attractions

The medieval city was surrounded by a wall, of which several gates have survived, including the Puerta de Toledo .
The most important religious building in the city is the collegiate church of San Benito Abad, designed by Alonso de Covarrubias around the middle of the 16th century . She is the St. Consecrated to Benedict of Nursia , the exterior is rather austere and unadorned, but a richly structured Renaissance portal indicates the time of construction. The interior is designed as a three-aisled hall church with star vaults ; the high altar with numerous panels depicting scenes from the life and passion of Christ is a work by Luis Tristán from 1616.

At the end of the 15th century, the Toledan bishop Alfonso Carrillo de Acuña had a palace built, which is clearly influenced by the Herrera style in its lack of decoration and architectural severity .

A court column (rollo or picota) from the 15th / 16th centuries. Century is a sign of urban independence.

Several wells on the outskirts, including the Fuente de los 3 caños , also served as cattle troughs (abrevaderos) and washing places (lavaderos) .