Andalusia Andalusia Andalusia ' onMouseout='HidePop("32677")' href="http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Spain">Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
), near the left bank of the
GuadalquivirThe Guadalquivir is the second longest river in Spain , and the longest in Andalusia. The Guadalquivir is 657 kilometers long and drains an area of about 58,000 square kilometers...
river, and on the eastern edge of the marshes known as
Las MarismasLas Marismas is an area of marshy lowlands near the banks of Guadalquivir River, part of Seville province, in Western Andalusia , which contains part of the territories of the municipalities of Isla Mayor, Los Palacios y Villafranca, La Puebla del Río, Villafranco del Guadalquivir, Utrera, Las...
.
According to a 2005 population
censusA "census" is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population.In other words every 10 years...next one would be in 2010 The term is used mostly in connection with...
, it has 24,866 inhabitants, and has an area surface of 372 km², making it one of the biggest municipalities in the province. The nearest municipalities are
El CuervoEl Cuervo is a municipality located in the province of Teruel, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 110 inhabitants....
and
Las Cabezas de San JuanLas Cabezas de San Juan is a city located in the province of Seville, Spain. According to the 2006 census , the city has a population of 16139 inhabitants.-External links:* - Sistema de Información Multiterritorial de Andalucía...
, in Seville and
TrebujenaTrebujena is a city located in the province of Cádiz, Spain. According to the 2005 census, the city has a population of 6,893 inhabitants.-Demographics:Source: -External links:* - Sistema de Información Multiterritorial de Andalucía...
and the city of
Jerez de la FronteraJerez de la Frontera is a municipality in the province of Cádiz in the autonomous community of Andalusia in southwestern Spain, situated midway between the sea and the mountains. As of 2008, the city, the largest city in the province, had 205,364 inhabitants; it is the fifth largest in Andalusia...
in the
province of CadizCádiz is a province of southern Spain, in the southwestern part of the autonomous community of Andalusia, the southernmost part of continental Western Europe....
.
The main productive activity is
agricultureAgriculture is the production of food and goods through farming and forestry. Agriculture was the key development that led to the rise of human civilization, with the husbandry of domesticated animals and plants creating food surpluses that enabled the development of more densely populated and...
, with
beetThe beet is a plant in the amaranth family. It is best known in its numerous cultivated varieties, the most well known of which is probably the red root vegetable known as the beetroot or garden beet...
,
cottonCotton is a soft, staple fiber that grows in a form known as a boll around the seeds of the cotton plant, a shrub native to tropical and subtropical regions around the world, including the Americas, India and Africa. The fiber most often is spun into yarn or thread and used to make a soft,...
,
wheatWheat is a worldwide cultivated grass from the Fertile Crescent region of the Near East. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
and various fruits its main products.
WinemakingWinemaking, or vinification, is the production of wine, starting with selection of the grapes or other produce and ending with bottling the finished wine. Although most wine is made from grapes, it may also be made from other fruit or non-toxic plant material...
activities are also remarkable with
ManzanillaManzanilla is a variety of fino sherry made around the port of Sanlúcar de Barrameda, in the province of Cádiz, Andalusia . In Spanish, chamomile tea is called "manzanilla", and thus this wine gets the name because the wine's flavour is said to be reminiscent of such tea.The sherry is manufactured...
and other
finoFino is the driest and palest of the traditional varieties of sherry. It is drunk comparatively young, and unlike the sweeter varieties should be drunk soon after the bottle is opened as exposure to air can cause them to lose their flavour within hours.-Flor:The defining component of Fino sherries...
s too. Lebrija is also known for its
potteryPottery is the ceramic ware made by potters. Major types of pottery include earthenware, stoneware, and porcelain. The places where such wares are made are called potteries. Pottery is one of the oldest human technologies and art-forms, and remains a major industry today...
and
earthenwareEarthenware is a common ceramic material, which is used extensively for pottery tableware and decorative objects. Although body formulations vary between countries, and even between individual makers, a generic composition is 25% ball clay, 28% kaolin, 32% quartz, and 15% feldspar. Earthenware is...
heritage, including
búcaros. The farmers of this area were the first to cultivate corn brought over from the Americas.
History
There has been human presence in the area since the
Bronze AgeThe Bronze Age of a culture is the period when the most advanced metalworking in that culture utilised bronze. This could either have been based on the local smelting of copper and tin from ores, or trading for bronze from production areas elsewhere...
, although the foundation of Lebrija, possibly did not take place till the
PhoeniciaPhoenicia what is now modern day Lebanon, was an ancient civilization centered in the north of ancient Canaan, with its heartland along the coastal regions of modern day Lebanon, extending to parts of Israel, Syria and Palestine...
ns arrival, who baptised the settlement as
Lepriptza, then to be renamed
Nebrissa, during
TartessianTertessian may refer to:*an ancient civilization based in Tartessos in modern-day Andalusia*the Tartessian language*the Tartessian script...
times.
Originally, it was a port in the shores of the Lacus Ligustinus, a large inner lake surrounded by the Guadalquivir River and its tributaries and coastal sand bars to the South. The lake later became infilled with deposited sediment, and gradually giving way to the current Guadalviquir marshy lowlands or
Marismas.
Lebrija is also the
Nabrissa or
Nebrissa, surnamed
Veneria, of the
RomansThe Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean. The term is used to describe the Roman state during and after the time of the first emperor,...
; by
Silius ItalicusSilius Italicus, in full Tiberius Catius Silius Italicus , was a Latin epic poet.-Early life:His birthplace is probably Italica, in the Roman province of Hispania i.e., Spain...
. According to local historian José Bellido, the word "veneria", (Latin:
"that which venerates (worships)") makes reference to the mythical foundation of Lebrija by the god
DionysusIn classical mythology, Dionysus or Dionysos is the god of wine, the inspirer of ritual madness and ecstasy, and a major figure of Greek mythology, and one of the twelve Olympians, amongst whom Greek mythology treated him as a late arrival...
(Bacchus): "Where special veneration is given to Bacchus, there where the swift
satyrIn Greek mythology, satyrs are a troop of male companions of Pan and Dionysus — "satyresses" were a late invention of poets — that roamed the woods and mountains...
es and the menades, at night celebrate the
mysteriesThe Eleusinian Mysteries were initiation ceremonies held every year for the cult of Demeter and Persephone based at Eleusis in ancient Greece. Of all the mysteries celebrated in ancient times, these were held to be the ones of greatest importance. These myths and mysteries, begun in the Mycenean...
of that god, with their heads covered up with a deer skin".
Nebrishah was a strong and populous place during the period of Moorish domination (from 711); it was taken by King St Ferdinand in 1249, but again lost, and became finally subject to the Castilian crown only under Alfonso the Wise in 1264.
Lebrija was the birthplace of Elio Antonio de Lebrija (1444-1522), also known as
Antonius Nebrissensis, one of the most important leaders in the revival of learning in Spain, author of the first grammar of a Romance language, the tutor of Queen Isabella, and a collaborator with Cardinal Jiménez de Cisneros in the preparation of the
Complutensian Polyglot BibleThe Complutensian Polyglot Bible is the name given to the first printed polyglot of the entire Bible, initiated and financed by Cardinal Francisco Jiménez de Cisneros . It includes the first printed editions of the Greek New Testament, the complete Septuagint, and the Targum Onkelos...
.
Lebrija was granted
cityA city is a relatively large and permanent settlement, particularly a large urban settlement. Although there is no agreement on technical definitions distinguishing a city from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status...
status by
letters patentLetters patent are a type of legal instrument in the form of an open letter issued by a monarch or government, granting an office, right, monopoly, title, or status to a person or to some entity such as a corporation. The opposite of letters patent are letters close , which are personal in nature...
in 1924.
History of the Jornalero movement
In 1903, the first general strike was recorded and documented by Spanish writer Azorín.
During the Spanish Second Republic, Lebrija was always a Frente Popular stronghold, as it has been an Anarchist one in the previous century. A process of
Agrarian reformAgrarian reform can refer either, narrowly, to government-initiated or government-backed redistribution of agricultural land or can refer more broadly to an overall redirection of the agrarian system of the country, which often includes land reform measures. Agrarian reform can include credit...
was started with some collectivisation of farms and
expropriationExpropriation is the confiscation of private property with the express purpose of establishing social equality.Unlike eminent domain, expropriation takes place beyond the common law legal systems and refers to socially-motivated confiscations of any property rather than to taking away the real estate...
of land from absentee landlords. This was put to an end with the army rebellion, which lead to the
Spanish Civil WarThe Spanish Civil War was a major conflict that devastated Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939. It began after an attempted coup d'état by a group of Spanish Army generals against the government of the Second Spanish Republic, then under the leadership of president Manuel Azaña...
and ultimately to the
FrancoFrancisco Franco Bahamonde, commonly known as Francisco Franco , or simply Franco, was a military general and dictator of Spain from October 1936, and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in 1975...
ist victory.
In the 1960s and 1970s, Lebrija, together with Jerez and
Morón de la FronteraMorón de la Frontera is a Spanish town in Seville province, Andalusia, 63 km South-East of Seville. It is primarily known as being home to Morón Air Base. The most remarkable monuments are the Moorish castle ruins and the main church...
, became a focus of
Jornalero protests (peasants without land) due to their poor living condition and expectatives. As a result, a regime of "communitary work", guaranteeing a minimum salary during a few months every year, was established.
Shortly after
Francisco FrancoFrancisco Franco Bahamonde, commonly known as Francisco Franco , or simply Franco, was a military general and dictator of Spain from October 1936, and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in 1975...
's death, on 6 of January 1976, around one hundred
jornaleros locked themselves up in the parsh church to express their political demands, only to be removed by the
Civil GuardThe Civil Guard , often abbreviated in Hebrew to Mash'az is a volunteer organization of Israeli citizens which assists in daily police work. It is a subdivision of the Israel Police.-Organization:...
, but not before they have voiced their consigns using the church tower loudspeakers several times:
"We want the miscultivated fields and lands to be given to jornaleros and small owners. We want subsidies for the unemployed all year round. We want collective agreements for the whole sector and a right to retirement at 60. We want trade union liberty and freedom for all political prisoners and exilees..."
Historic Buildings
The area still has remnants of its
Muslim pastAl-Andalus was the Arabic name given to the parts of the Iberian Peninsula and Septimania governed by Arab and North African Muslims , at various times in the period between 711 and 1492....
among its old buildings. Its chief buildings are a ruined Moorish castle and the parish church,
Santa María de la Oliva, one of the finest churches in the province of Seville that combines a variety of styles:
MudejarMudéjar is the name given to individual Moors or Muslims of Al-Andalus who remained in Christian territory after the Reconquista but were not converted to Christianity...
,
RenaissanceThe Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Florence in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe...
and
BaroqueBaroque is an artistic style prevalent from the late 16th century to the early 18th century. The popularity and success of the Baroque style was encouraged by the Roman Catholic Church, which had decided at the time of the Council of Trent that the arts should communicate religious themes in...
, dating from the 14
th century to the 16
th, and containing some early specimens of the carving of Alonso Cano (1601-1667).
The
campanileCampanile is an Italian word meaning "bell tower" . The term applies to bell towers which are either part of a larger building or free-standing, although in American English, the latter meaning has become prevalent.The most famous campanile is probably the Leaning Tower of Pisa...
tower was inspired on the
GiraldaThe Giralda is the bell tower of the Cathedral of Seville in Seville, Spain, one of the largest churches in the world and an outstanding example of the Gothic and Baroque architectural styles. The tower's first two-thirds is a former Almohad minaret which, when built, was the tallest tower in the...
, of the Cathedral of Seville, and it is commonly known as
"La Giraldilla" (
little Giralda). Santa María de la Oliva was originally a mosque that was reclaimed as a Christian temple in 1249, following the
ReconquistaThe Reconquista was a period of 800 years in the Middle Ages during which several Christian kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula succeeded in retaking the Iberian Peninsula from the Muslims...
. Part of the church retains its original mosque elements and resembles a smaller version of the
MezquitaThe Mezquita of Córdoba or Cordova is a Roman Catholic cathedral originally built as a mosque in the Andalusian city of Córdoba, Spain. It is regarded as perhaps the most accomplished monument of the Umayyad dynasty of Córdoba...
in Córdoba.
The
Casa de la Cultura (House of Culture) was built in the 18th century in Andalusian Baroque style. Originally it was used as a wheat
siloA silo is a structure for storing bulk materials. Silos are used in agriculture to store grain or fermented feed known as silage. Silos are more commonly used for bulk storage of grain, coal, cement, carbon black, wood chips, food products and sawdust...
for the Archbishop of Seville and housing for the local Catholic chapter. The Diezmos and tributes paid by the town people to the
churchThe Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church. With more than a billion members, over half of all Christians and more than one-sixth of the world's population, the Catholic Church is a communion of the Western, or Latin Rite Church, and...
were kept here. In 1982, the Socialist Party in charge of Lebrija City Council at the time bought the property and its restoration began. It was reopened in 1986 as the House of Culture, a place dedicated to learning, exhibits and all sorts of cultural expressions, including dance and music.
The Covent and Church of San Francisco (1585) has always been associated to the Franciscan Order. It is located in the Plaza Manuela Murube (also known popularly as
El Pilar), one of the most beautiful and artistic corners of Lebrija. In the same square are located the Old Hospital of Mercy (
Hospital de la Misericordia) and Saint Andrew's Assylum (
Asilo de San Andrés).
Cruces de Mayo
The
Cruces de Mayo (
Holy Crosses of May) is the most typical and popular festivity in Lebrija. It is held during the first two weekends of May every year. It is a community activity for what each neighborhood
raise a cross, either using a permanent buttercross site or building them from scratch using flowers, forged iron or wood. These places around the town are then used for dancing and singing, particularly a local form of
SevillanasSevillanas is a type of folk music, sung and written in Seville in Spain. Historically, they are a derivative of Castilian folk music . Technically, they are an evolution from Castilian seguidillas, they have a relatively limited musical pattern, but rich lyrics, based on country side life,...
, known as
Sevillanas corraleras.
Annual Fair
The local annual fair is dedicated to the
patron saintA patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, or person. Patron saints, because they have already transcended to the metaphysical, are able to intercede effectively for the needs of their special charges...
of Lebrija, Our Lady of The Castle, and held around her nameday, on 12 September.
Júas
The festivity of the
Júas (Andalusian dialect pronunciation of the name
Judas) takes place on Saint John's Eve. Local people get together and make lifesize rag dolls, representing celebrities and local politicians. These rag dolls are left outside of houses so they can be admired by others. At
midnightMidnight is, literally, "the middle of the night". In most systems it is when one day ends and the next begins: when the date changes. Originally midnight was halfway between sunset and dawn, varying according to the seasons....
they are set alight, together with a fireworls display, thus marking the ending of the festivity.
Nelly & Sammi Bear visited in 2009
Holy Week
As in
SevilleSeville is the artistic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of above sea level. The inhabitants of the city are known as Sevillanos or...
and other Andalusian cities, towns and villages, several
hermandadHermandad, literally "brotherhood" in Spanish, was a peacekeeping association of armed individuals, which became characteristic of municipal life in medieval Spain, especially in Castile....
es march in
processionA procession is, in general, an organized body of people advancing in a formal or ceremonial manner....
, carrying
pasos, lifelike wood or plaster sculptures of individual scenes of the Passion of Jesus Christ or images of the Virgin Mary. One of the most important hermandades is
Veracruz.
Caracolá
Lebrija is a renowned
flamencoFlamenco is a Spanish musical genre with origins in Andalusia. It can be both a musical form, known for its intricate rapid passages, and a dance characterized by audible footwork. The origins of the term are unclear...
centre and the
Caracolá, one of the major flamenco festivals in Spain is held there every year in July.
Famous people from Lebrija
- Elio Antonio de Lebrija
Antonio de Lebrija, also known as Antonio de Nebrija, Elio Antonio de Lebrija, Antonius Nebrissensis, and Antonio of Lebrixa, was a Spanish scholar born at Lebrija in the province of Seville....
, Andalusian grammarian who wrote the first grammar of the Spanish languageSpanish or Castilian is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that originated in northern Spain and gradually spread in the Kingdom of Castile, evolving into the principal language of government and trade in the Iberian peninsula...
, was born in this town.
- Juan Díaz de Solís
Juan Díaz de Solís, , was a Spanish navigator and explorer.Díaz de Solís was probably born in Lebrija, Seville, although some other authors argue that his birth may have actually taken place in Portugal to an Andalusian emigree family....
, navigatorA navigator is the person on board a ship or aircraft responsible for its navigation. The navigator's primary responsibility is to be aware of ship or aircraft position at all times. Responsibilities include planning the journey, advising the Captain or aircraft Commander of estimated timing to...
and explorer who reached and named the Rio de la PlataThe Río de la Plata —always rendered River Plate in British English and the Commonwealth, and occasionally rendered [La] Plata River in other English-speaking countries— is the river formed by the combination of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River...
EstuaryAn estuary is a semi-enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries are thus subject to both marine influences, such as tides, waves, and the influx of saline water; and riverine influences, such as flows of...
.
- Juan Bernabé (1947-1972), dramatist and theatre director
- Juan Peña "El Lebrijano"
Juan Peña Fernández, also known as Juan Peña "El Lebrijano" or simply El Lebrijano, was born in Lebrija, province of Seville, Spain, in 1941 and grew up in a prominent Gitano musical family, being the nephew of Perrate de Utrera. He began to play Spanish guitar as a child, accompanying dancers...
, flamencoFlamenco is a Spanish musical genre with origins in Andalusia. It can be both a musical form, known for its intricate rapid passages, and a dance characterized by audible footwork. The origins of the term are unclear...
singer.
- Juan Ramón López Caro
Juan Ramón López Caro, known as López Caro is a football manager who has managed teams like Real Madrid and Levante UD of the Spanish La Liga....
, former manager of Real MadridReal Madrid Club de Fútbol is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. It is the most successful team in Spanish football and was voted by FIFA as the most successful club of the 20th century, having won a record thirty-one La Liga titles, seventeen Spanish Cups, a record nine European...
Football Club, of the Spanish La LigaThe Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, in terms of sponsorship, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional football league in Spain...
- Benito Zambrano
Benito Zambrano , is an awarded Spanish screenwriter and film director.-Filmography:* Melli 1990 * Un niño mal nacido 1989 * ¿Quién soy yo? 1988...
, contemporary filmmaker
External links
Statistiscal data about Lebrija Lebrija.com website Lebrija in Pueblos de España website Lebrija Digital Painting and Sculpture in Lebrija, by Juan Cordero Ruiz, Emeritus Professor of University of Seville