Palencia is a city south of
Tierra de Campos, in north-northwest
SpainSpain , 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...]
, the capital of the
province of PalenciaPalencia is a province of northern Spain, in the northern part of the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is bordered by the provinces of León, Cantabria, Burgos, and Valladolid.Of the population of 176,125 , 45% live in the capital, Palencia...
in the
autonomous communityThe Autonomous Community is the first-level political division of the Kingdom of Spain, established in accordance with the Spanish Constitution...
of Castile-Leon. The municipality had a population of 82,626 in 2008.
Palencia contains a few but remarkable historic sights. The Roman bridge across the
CarriónThe Carrión is a river in northern Spain. It is a tributary of Pisuerga river....
river was replaced by the medieval one of three arches: the old section of the city is on the left bank, the modern suburban development is on the right bank: it seems likely that the first inhabitants settled on the right bank, and later moved to the left bank — set in higher ground — because of the frequent floodings. The old city walls more than 10 meters high can still be traced; the
alamedas or promenades along them were laid out in 1778. The flamboyant Gothic
CathedralPalencia Cathedral is situated in Palencia, Spain. It is dedicated to Saint Antoninus of Pamiers ....
built from 1321 to 1504 and dedicated to
San AntolínSaint Antoninus of Pamiers was an early Christian missionary and martyr, called the "Apostle of the Rouergue". His life is dated to the first, second, fourth, and fifth century by various sources, since he often confused with various other venerated Antonini. Today he is revered as the patron...
, stands over a low vaulted Visigothic
cryptIn architecture, a crypt is a stone chamber or vault beneath the floor of a church usually used as a chapel or burial vault possibly containing sarcophagi, coffins or relics....
; its museum contains a number of important works of art, including a
retabloA retable is a term of ecclesiastical art and ecclesiastical architecture, applied in modern English usage to an altar-ledge or shelf, raised slightly above the back of the altar or communion table, on which are placed the cross, ceremonial candlesticks and other ornaments...
of twelve panels by
Juan de FlandesJuan de Flandes was an Early Netherlandish painter who was active in Spain from 1496 to 1519; his actual name is unknown, although an inscription Juan Astrat on the back of one work suggests a name such as "Jan van der Staat"...
, court painter to Queen Isabella of Castile. The Archeological Museum contains
CeltiberianThe Celtiberians were a Celtic-speaking people of the Iberian Peninsula in the final centuries BC. The group originated when Celts migrated from Gaul and integrated with the local pre-Indo-European populations, in particular the Iberians....
ceramics. Palencia is also famous for the 13th-century church of San Miguel, the San Francisco church and the Benedictine monastery of San Zoilo, housed in an 18th-century
rococoRococo is a style of 18th century French art and interior design. Rococo rooms were designed as total works of art with elegant and ornate furniture, small sculptures, ornamental mirrors, and tapestry complementing architecture, reliefs, and wall paintings...
structure by Juan de Badajoz. The Calle Mayor (Main Sreet), is a pedestrian and delicious 900 metres long street where many fairy examples of the 18th, 19th and early 20th century architecture can be found.
History
Under Rome
The fortified
CeltiberianThe Celtiberians were a Celtic-speaking people of the Iberian Peninsula in the final centuries BC. The group originated when Celts migrated from Gaul and integrated with the local pre-Indo-European populations, in particular the Iberians....
settlement, was rendered as
Pallantia by
StraboStrabo was a Greek historian, geographer and philosopher.-Life:Strabo was born in a wealthy family from Amaseia in Pontus , which had recently become part of the Roman Empire.. He studied under various geographers and philosophers; first in Nysa, later in Rome...
and
PtolemyClaudius Ptolemaeus , known in English as Ptolemy , was a Roman citizen of Greek ancestry. He was a mathematician, astronomer, geographer, astrologer and a poet of a single epigram in the Greek Anthology. He lived in Egypt under the Roman Empire, and is believed to have been born in the town of...
(ii. 6. § 50) and the Romans, a version possibly of the Celtic root
pala, "plain". It was the chief town of the Vaccaei, although Strabo wrongly assigns it to the
ArevaciThe Arevaci were an ancient Celtiberian tribe who settled in the Meseta Central of northern Hispania. The Vaccaei were their allies.The Arevaci and the Belli revolted against Roman rule in the Celtiberian War.-References:...
. The city was starved into submission in the second century BCE and incorporated into the Roman province of
Hispania TarraconensisHispania Tarraconensis was one of three Roman provinces in Hispania. It encompassed much of the Mediterranean coast of Spain along with the central plateau and the north coast, and part of northern Portugal. Southern Spain, the region now called Andalucia, was the province of Hispania Baetica...
, in the jurisdiction of
CluniaClunia, full name Colonia Clunia Sulpicia, was an ancient Roman city located on Alto de Castro, at more than 1000 metres above MSL, between the cities of Peñalba de Castro and Coruña del Conde, 2 km away from the latter, in the province of Burgos in Spain...
. Though the little Roman garrison city was an active mint, it was insignificant compared to the
Roman villaA Roman villa is a villa that was built or lived in during the Roman republic and the Roman Empire. A villa was originally a Roman country house built for the upper class...
s of
Late AntiquityLate Antiquity is a periodization used by historians to describe the transitional centuries from Classical Antiquity to the Middle Ages, in both mainland Europe and the Mediterranean world. Precise boundaries for the period are a matter of debate, but noted historian of the period Peter Brown...
in the surrounding territory. Archeologists have uncovered the remains of Roman villas at La Olmeda and at the "Quintanilla de la Cueza," where the fragments of
mosaicMosaic is the art of creating images with an assemblage of small pieces of colored glass, stone, or other materials. It may be a technique of decorative art, an aspect of interior decoration, or of cultural and spiritual significance as in a cathedral...
floors are spectacularly refined. According to the fifth-century Galician chronicler
IdatiusHydatius or Idacius , bishop of Aquae Flaviae in the Roman province of Gallaecia was the author of a chronicle of his own times that provides us with our best evidence for the history of Hispania in the 5th century.-Life:Hydatius was born around the year 400 in the environs of...
, the city of Palencia was all but destroyed (457) in the Visigothic wars against the Suevi: the date falls in the reign of
Theodoric IITheodoric II murdered his elder brother Thorismund to become king of the Visigoths in 453. Edward Gibbon writes that "he justified this atrocious deed by the design which his predecessor had formed of violating his alliance with the empire." During Theodoric's reign the Kingdom of the Visigoths,...
, whose power center still lay far to the east, in
AquitaniaAquitania may refer to:*the territory of the Aquitani* Gallia Aquitania, a province of the Roman Empire* 387 Aquitania, a fairly large main belt asteroid* Aquitania, Boyacá, Colombia* RMS Aquitania, a Cunard Line ocean liner...
. When the Visigoths conquered the territory, however, they retained the Roman rural villa system in establishing the
Campos Góticos.
Under the Bishops. In the city itself, the Catholic bishopric of Palencia had been founded in the third century or earlier, assuming its bishop was among those assembled in the third century to depose Basilides, bishop of Astorga. With the arrival of effective Visigothic power, official
AriansArianism is the theological teaching of Arius , a Christian priest, who was first ruled a heretic at the First Council of Nicea of 325, later exonerated in 335 at the First Synod of Tyre, and then pronounced a heretic again after his death at the First Council of Constantinople of 381...
and opposition Catholics disputed the bishopric of Palencia.
PriscillianPriscillian, bishop of Ávila , a theologian from Roman Gallaecia , was the first person in the history of Christianity to be executed for heresy . He founded an ascetic group that, in spite of persecution, continued to subsist in Hispania and Gaul until the later 6th century...
's ascetic heresy, which originated in Galicia, spread over the
Tierra de Campos ruled by the Arian Visigoths, and was opposed by Toribius, Bishop of Astorga. Maurila, an Arian bishop established in Palencia by Leovigild, followed King
ReccaredReccared I was Visigothic King of Hispania, Septimania and Galicia. His reign marked a climactic shift in history, with the king's renunciation of traditional Arianism in favour of Catholic Christianity in 587....
's conversion to Catholicism (587), and in 589 he assisted at the
Third Council of ToledoThe Third Council of Toledo marks the entry of Catholic Christianity into the rule of Visigothic Spain, and the introduction into Western Christianity of the filioque clause...
.
Bishop Conantius, the biographer of Saint Ildephonsus, assisted at synods and councils in Toledo and composed music and a book of prayers from the Psalms; he ruled the see for more than thirty years, and had for his pupil
Fructuosus of BragaSaint Fructuosus of Braga was the Bishop of Dumio and Archbishop of Braga , a great founder of monasteries, who died April 16, 665. He was the son of a Visigothic dux in the region of Bierzo and he accompanied his father at a young age on certain official trips over his estates...
.
Under the Moors. When the Moors arrived in the early eighth century, resistance was fragmented among bishops in control of the small walled towns, and the territorial magnates in their fortified villas. A concerted resistance seems to have been ineffective, and the fragmented system crumbled villa by villa. Palencia was insignificant: Moorish writers only once cite the border city in the division of the provinces previous to the Ummayyad dynasty. The diocese of Palencia was but a name— a "
titular seeA titular see in the Roman Catholic Church is a Diocese or Archdiocese that now exists in title only.By definition a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop the tradition of the Catholic Church is that he be ordained for a specific place...
"— until Froila, Count of Villafruela, succeeded in retaking the area of the see in 921, but the true restorer of Christian power was
Sancho III of NavarreSancho III Garcés , called the Great , was King of Navarre from 1004 until his death and claimed the overlordship of the County of Castile from 1017 to his death, appearing in a charter as "king in Castile"...
. At Palencia
El CidRodrigo Díaz de Vivar , known as El Cid Campeador, was a Castilian nobleman, a military leader and diplomat who, after being exiled, conquered and governed the city of Valencia...
married his Ximena in 1074.
Under the restored Bishops. The first prelate of the restored see (1035) is said to have been Bernardo, whom Sancho gave feudal command over the city and its lands, with the various castles and the few abbeys.
Bernardo was born in France or Navarre, and devoted himself to the reconstruction of the original cathedral built over the crypt of the local
Saint Antolín (
Antoninus of PamiersSaint Antoninus of Pamiers was an early Christian missionary and martyr, called the "Apostle of the Rouergue". His life is dated to the first, second, fourth, and fifth century by various sources, since he often confused with various other venerated Antonini. Today he is revered as the patron...
), 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 Palencia, who is venerated here alone, with his Ferias, a moveable feast in September. The cathedral was rebuilt again three centuries later. Its principal treasures were relics of Antoninus, formerly venerated in Aquitania, whence they had been brought. Alfonso VI conferred many privileges on Bernardo's successor, Raimundo. Pedro of Agen in France, one of the noted men brought in by Bishop Bernardo of Toledo, succeeded Bishop Raimundo. A supporter of Queen
UrracaUrraca or Hurraca is a feminine given name, the same as the Spanish word for magpie, derived perhaps from Latin furax, meaning "thievish", in reference to the magpie's tendency to collect shiny items...
, he was imprisoned by Alfonso I of Aragon. In 1113 a provincial council was held in Palencia by Archbishop Bernardo to quell the disorders of the epoch. The long and beneficent administration of Pedro was succeeded by that of Pedro II, who died in Almeria and was succeeded by Raimundo II. Bishop
TelloTello was the Bishop of Chur from 758/759 until his death. He was the last member of the ecclesiastical dynasty of the Victorids to wield power in Rhaetia through his control of the bishopric...
took part in the
battle of Las Navas de TolosaThe Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa took place on 16 July 1212 and was an important turning point in the Reconquista and in the medieval history of Spain...
in 1212, where Palencia won the right to emblazon the cross over its castle.
Later bishops. In 1410 Bishop Sancho de Rojas fought at the battle of Antequera, where the
Infante FerdinandFerdinand I called of Antequera and also the Just or the Honest, was king of Aragon, Valencia, Majorca, Sardinia and Corsica and king of Sicily, duke of Athens and Neopatria, and count of Barcelona, Roussillon and Cerdanya...
, regent of Castile and León, defeated Mohammed VII, king of Granada, and in the Treaty of Caspe he aided Ferdinand to secure the crown of Aragon.
Saint
Vincent FerrerSaint Vincent Ferrer was a Valencian Dominican missionary and logician.-Early life:...
preached in Palencia, so successfully converting thousands of Jews, the Catholic sources tell, that he was permitted to employ the
synagogueA synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer....
for his new-founded hospital of San Salvador, later joined to that of S. Antolin.
Among the successive bishops of Palencia, who, as feudal lords, were invariably members of the noble families:
- Munio de Zamora
Munio de Zamora became the seventh Master General of the Dominican Order in 1285, thanks in large part to the manipulations performed by his patron Sancho IV of Castile...
- Sancho de Rojas
- Rodrigo de Velasco (died 1435)
- Rodrigo Sanchez de Arévalo
Rodrigo Sánchez de Arévalo was a Spanish churchman, historian and political theorist....
, author of a history of Spain in Latin (1466)
- Iñigo López de Mendoza (1472-1485)
- Bishop Fonseca (1505-1514)
- Pedro de Castilla (1440-1461)
- Fray Alonso de Burgos (1485-1499)
- La Gasca (1550-1561)
- Zapata (1569-1577)
- Alvaro de Mendoza
- Gabino-Alejandro Carriedo (1923-1981)
A short distance south of the city, in the village of Baños de Cerrato, is the oldest church on the peninsula, a seventh-century
basilicaThe Latin word basilica , was originally used to describe a Roman public building , usually located in the forum of a Roman town. In Hellenistic cities, public basilicas appeared in the 2nd century BC.Basilicas were also used for religious purposes...
dedicated to Saint John and built by the
VisigothThe Visigoths were one of two main branches of the Goths, an East Germanic tribe; the Ostrogoths being the other. Together these tribes were among the barbarians who disturbed the late Roman Empire during the Migration Period. The Visigoths first emerged as a distinct people during the fourth...
King Reccaswinth (died 672).
Geography
Palencia lies in the the north sector of the central spanish plateau, in the middle of the
CarriónCarrion refers to the carcass of a dead animal. Carrion is an important food source for large carnivores and omnivores in most ecosystems. Examples of carrion-eaters, or scavengers, include Hyenas, Vultures, Canadian Opossum, Tasmanian Devils, Black Bears, Komodo Dragons, Bald Eagles, Raccoons,...
river valley, near the confluence with the Pisuerga river. The river goes through the town and creates four islands, being the Dos Aguas Island and the Sotillo Island the biggest ones.
Two hills sourround the city on its north-east area. At the closest one stands the huge Jesuschrist statue known as El Cristo del Otero. It is said to be the second biggest Jesuschrist statue in the world after the one of Rio de Janeiro.
Palencia has a big forest of 1 438 h. 6 km away. Inhabitants call it "Monte el Viejo" ("Old Mount"). This park is a popular amusement area for the locals.
The Canal de Castilla runs close to the city.
Palencia's municipality includes the village of Paredes de Monte, 14 km away.
Climate
The region of Palencia has a Continental Mediterranean climate with very cool winters, due to altitude and isolation from maritime influences, chilly winds, including sporadic snowfalls and minimum temperatures usually below 0 °C (32 °F). Fogs are also frequent because of the Carrion river. Summer tends to be warm and nice with temperatures that consistently surpass 25 °C (77 °F) in July and that can rarely reach 30 (86º). Due to Palencia's altitude and dry climate, nightly temperatures tend to be cooler, leading to a lower average in the summer months. Precipitation levels are low, but precipitation can be observed throughout the year. Summer and winter are the driest seasons, with most rainfall occurring in the autumn and spring.[14]
Demographics
Palencia's population has slightly grown in the last 10 years, from 78,800 inhabitants in the year 1996 to 82,626 in 2008. The town has historically been an inner immigration centre, mostly during the decades of 1950 - 1970 and has received rural immigrants given its industrial developments. Nevertheless, it is an over-aged population due to youth emigration to bigger cities such as Valladolid, Madrid or Barcelona.
University of Palencia
The first
universityA university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
in Spain, the
studium generale of Palencia was founded by
Alfonso VIIIAlfonso VIII , called the Noble or el de las Navas, was the King of Castile from 1158 to his death and King of Toledo. He is most remembered for his part in the Reconquista and the downfall of the Almohad Caliphate...
in 1208; however, the school did not long survive him. It has been suggested that the 13th-century poet
Gonzalo de BerceoGonzalo de Berceo was a Spanish poet born in the Riojan village of Berceo, close to the major Benedictine monastery of San Millán de la Cogolla...
studied at the University during its brief existence. The teachers from Palencia were drawn to the thriving
University of SalamancaThe University of Salamanca , located in the town of Salamanca, west of Madrid, is the oldest university in Spain , and one of the oldest in Europe. It was founded by Alfonso IX of León in 1218 as a "General School"...
.
By car
Palencia is well-linked to other town and cities of Spain by roads and highways:
Highways
A - 62 Valladolid / Madrid
A - 65 Benavente/ León / Asturias / Galicia
A - 67 Santander
CL - 610 =>
A -62 Burgos / Bilbao / Zaragoza / Barcelona
Autonomic Roads
C - 613 Sahagún
C - 615 Guardo / Riaño
C - 619 Aranda de Duero / Soria
In addition, Palencia has an bus station located next to the train station. ALSA and other bus companies links Palencia to many cities and town from Spain and it is specially useful for travelling to places not linked by train, such as the south-west of Spain.
By train
The city also has an busy railway station, given its strategical location as a hub for north and north-west railway connections in Spain. There are several services to Valladolid, Madrid, León, Burgos, Vitoria and Santander, 3 daily trains to Barcelona, Bilbao, A Coruña, Santiago, Oviedo and Zaragoza, 1 daily train to Albacete and Alicante.
In 2012, the Spanish high-speed train service, the AVE, will stop at Palencia brining the town at just 1h 20m from Madrid (240 km away).
AVE will also bring important changes for the urban development of the town, since it will suppose the burying of the railway that divides Palencia in two separate parts, ending and historical claim of local inhabitants.
By plane
Valladolid/Villanubla is the closest airport, 50 kilometres away from Palencia.
It offers 3 daily flights to Barcelona, 1 to Valencia, 1 to Paris Orly, 1 to London Stansted, 1 to Brussels, and a number of flights to the Balearic and Canary Islands.
Sustainable Mobility
Palencia is doing some efforts concerning sustainable mobility, such as extending a free bicycle loan system, implementing pedestrian areas at the town center or promoting public transport 100% clean.
Local cuisine
The main speciality of Palencia is
lechazo (baby lamb that has only drunk its mother's milk). The lechazo is slowly roasted in a wood oven and served with salad. The
menestra de verduras (a mix of vegetables cooked with little pieces oh Spanish ham, onion, garlic and spices) is also very well-known and tasty.
Palencia also offers a great assortment of lettuces, leeks, wild mushrooms, peppers, asparagus, endives and beans. Some legumes, like white beans and lentils are particularly good and cooked in hot dishes with
chorizo.
The
sopa de ajo (dried bread mixed with paprika, water and garlic slowly cooked for hours) is a beloved dish for cold winter days.
Morcilla is a pigs-blood sausage, a staple country food famous across the Iberian peninsula. Spiced with onions and herbs its most noticeable content is rice (often mistaken for fat by foreigners) which makes it one of the lightest and healthiest products of its kind. In Palencia, the most famous one is the
Fuenteadrino's morcilla, including pine kernels.
Despite being an inland province, fish is quite commonly consumed. Brought from the Cantabrian Sea, fish like red bream and hake are a major part of Palencia's cuisine.
Rivers from the Cantabric Mountains bring the famous
trouts, grilled with bacon, and
crayfishes, which are cooked with a thick tomato and onion sauce.
Palencia has a bread to go with every dish, like the delicious
fabiolas,
roscas or
panes.
The pastries and baked goods from the province of Palencia are well-known.
Rice pudding and
leche frita or fried milk (a mix of milk, sugar, flour and cinnamon with a delicious and jelly-like texture) are favourite desserts.
Palencia is also a producer of wines. The ones that fall under the
Designation of Origin Arlanza are becoming very good and similar in taste and quality to those of Ribera del Duero and Toro.
The town owns a particular and proud record: the Spanish ommelette from La Encina Restaurant has been awarded for 4 consecutive year as the best one in Spain.
See also
- List of Spanish cities
- Palencia (province)
Palencia is a province of northern Spain, in the northern part of the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is bordered by the provinces of León, Cantabria, Burgos, and Valladolid.Of the population of 176,125 , 45% live in the capital, Palencia...
- List of municipalities in Palencia
External links
- Spanish Pre-Romanesque Art Guide; San Antolin's Cryp in Palencia Catedral.
- Page of the poet Gabino-Alejandro Carriedo
- Antonio Guzmán Capel
Antonio Guzmán Capel was born on the January 19, 1960 in Tétouan.Is a Spanish painter.Since 1961 he resides in the city of Palencia, Spain.- Biography :Self-taught artist.From childhood showed their innate qualities for drawing and painting....
, Capel - Página web