Ávila (, , ) is a city of

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

located in the

autonomous community eu, autonomia erkidegoa ca, comunitat autònoma gl, comunidade autónoma oc, comunautat autonòma an, comunidat autonoma ast, comunidá autónoma , alt_name = , map = , category = Autonomous administra ...

Castile and León Castile and León ( es, Castilla y León ; ast-leo, Castiella y Llión ; gl, Castela e León ) is an autonomous community in northwestern Spain. It was created in 1983, eight years after the end of the Francoist regime, by the merging of the ...

. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the

Province of Ávila Ávila () is a province of central-western Spain, in the southern part of the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is bordered on the south by the provinces of Toledo and Cáceres, on the west by Salamanca, on the north by Valladolid, an ...

. It lies on the right bank of the

Adaja river The Adaja is a river of Spain located in the centre of the Iberian Peninsula, a major left-bank tributary of the Douro. Featuring a total length of 163 km, its river basin drains an area of 5,328 km2. It has its source in the so-called Fuent ...

. Located more than 1,130 m above sea level, the city is the highest provincial capital in Spain. Distinctly known by its medieval walls, Ávila is sometimes called the ''Town of Stones and Saints'', and it claims that it is one of the towns with the highest number of Romanesque and

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

churches per capita in Spain. It has complete and prominent

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the Post-classical, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...

town walls, built in the Romanesque style; writer

José Martínez Ruiz José Augusto Trinidad Martínez Ruiz, better known by his pseudonym Azorín (; June 8, 1873 – March 2, 1967), was a Spanish novelist, essayist and literary critic. As a political radical in the 1890s, he moved steadily to the right. In liter ...

, in his book ''El alma castellana'' ("The Castilian Soul"), described it as "perhaps the most 16th-century town in Spain". The town is also known as ''Ávila de los Caballeros'', ''Ávila del Rey'' and ''Ávila de los Leales'' ("Ávila of the knights", "Ávila of the king", "Ávila of the loyal ones"), each of these

epithet An epithet (, ), also byname, is a descriptive term (word or phrase) known for accompanying or occurring in place of a name and having entered common usage. It has various shades of meaning when applied to seemingly real or fictitious people, di ...

s being present in the town

standard Standard may refer to: Symbols * Colours, standards and guidons, kinds of military signs * Standard (emblem), a type of a large symbol or emblem used for identification Norms, conventions or requirements * Standard (metrology), an object th ...

Orson Welles George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, known for his innovative work in film, radio and theatre. He is considered to be among the greatest and most influential f ...

once named Ávila as the place in which he would most desire to live, calling it a "strange, tragic place". Various scenes of his 1965 film ''

Chimes at Midnight ''Falstaff (Chimes at Midnight)'' (Spanish: ''Campanadas a medianoche'') is a 1966 period comedy-drama film directed by and starring Orson Welles. The Spanish-Swiss co-production was released in the United States as ''Chimes at Midnight'' and in ...

'' were filmed in the town. Ávila was declared a

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

in 1985. The site originally consisted of the walled city and four extra muros churches. The number of churches included in the site has since been increased.

Geography

Situated 1132 metres (3714 feet)

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as ''orthometric heights''. The comb ...

on a rocky outcrop on the right bank of the

Adaja The Adaja is a river of Spain located in the centre of the Iberian Peninsula, a major left-bank tributary of the Douro. Featuring a total length of 163 km, its river basin drains an area of 5,328 km2. It has its source in the so-called Fuent ...

river, a tributary of the

Duero The Douro (, , ; es, Duero ; la, Durius) is the highest-flow river of the Iberian Peninsula. It rises near Duruelo de la Sierra in Soria Province, central Spain, meanders south briefly then flows generally west through the north-west part of ...

, Ávila is the highest provincial capital in Spain. It is built on the flat summit of a rocky hill, which rises abruptly in the midst of a veritable wilderness; a brown, arid, treeless table-land, strewn with immense grey boulders, and shut in by lofty mountains.

Climate

Ávila's position results in a

temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout t ...

Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...

(''Csb'', according to the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

), with warm summers and chilly winters with snowfalls, bordering on a cold

semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi-ar ...

(''BSk''). The hottest month, July, has an average temperature of , and the coldest month, January, has an average of . The average annual precipitation is . Annual rainfall is low compared to surrounding areas, implying that it lies in a rain shadow. The Adaja is dry for several months of the year and the town has historically had water supply problems. Ávila has the coldest winter low temperatures of the Spanish

provincial Provincial may refer to: Government & Administration * Provincial capitals, an administrative sub-national capital of a country * Provincial city (disambiguation) * Provincial minister (disambiguation) * Provincial Secretary, a position in Can ...

capital cities, thanks to its high altitude (

History

In pre-Roman times (the 5th century BC), Ávila was inhabited by the

Vettones The Vettones (Greek: ''Ouettones'') were a pre-Roman people of the Iberian Peninsula of possibly Celtic ethnicity. Origins Lujan (2007) concludes that some of the names of the Vettones show clearly western Hispano-Celtic features. Reissued i ...

, who called it ''Obila'' (Ὀβίλα) ("High Mountain") and built one of their strongest fortresses here. There are Bronze Age stone statues of boars (known as verracio) nearby. Restos romanos avila

Ávila may have been the ancient town known as ''Abula'', mentioned by

Ptolemy Claudius Ptolemy (; grc-gre, Πτολεμαῖος, ; la, Claudius Ptolemaeus; AD) was a mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist, who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were of importanc ...

in his ''Geographia'' (II 6, 60) as being located in the Iberian region of

Bastetania The Bastetani or Bastuli were an ancient Iberian (pre-Roman) people of the Iberian peninsula (the Roman Hispania). They are believed to have spoken the Iberian language. The relationship between the Iberian Bastetani and the Tartessian Mastieni ...

. ''Abula'' is mentioned as one of the first towns in

Hispania Hispania ( la, Hispānia , ; nearly identically pronounced in Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, and Italian) was the Roman name for the Iberian Peninsula and its provinces. Under the Roman Republic, Hispania was divided into two provinces: Hispania ...

that was converted to

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

Secundus of Abula Saint Secundus or Secundius ( es, San Segundo) is venerated as a Christian missionary and martyr of the 1st century, during the Apostolic Age. He evangelized the town of ''Abula'', which has been identified as either Abla or Ávila, and became it ...

(''San Segundo''), however, ''Abula'' may alternatively have been the town of

Abla Abla is a municipality, former bishopric and Latin Catholic titular see in Almería province, in Andalusia, southeast Spain. History It is considered to be the Abula mentioned by Ptolemy in his ''Geographia'' (II 6, 60) as located in the Iber ...

. After the conquest by

ancient Rome In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–509 B ...

, the town was called ''Abila'' or ''Abela''. The plan of the town remains typically Roman; rectangular in shape, with its two main streets (

cardo A cardo (plural ''cardines'') was a north–south street in Ancient Roman cities and military camps as an integral component of city planning. The cardo maximus, or most often the ''cardo'', was the main or central north–south-oriented street ...

and decumanus) intersecting at a

forum Forum or The Forum (plural forums or fora) may refer to: Common uses * Forum (legal), designated space for public expression in the United States *Forum (Roman), open public space within a Roman city **Roman Forum, most famous example *Internet ...

in the centre. Roman remains that are embedded in town walls at the eastern and southern entrances (now the Alcazar and Rastro Gates) appear to have been

ashlar Ashlar () is finely dressed (cut, worked) stone, either an individual stone that has been worked until squared, or a structure built from such stones. Ashlar is the finest stone masonry unit, generally rectangular cuboid, mentioned by Vitruv ...

altar stones. By tradition, in the 1st century, Secundus, having travelled via the Roman province of

Hispania Baetica Hispania Baetica, often abbreviated Baetica, was one of three Roman provinces in Hispania (the Iberian Peninsula). Baetica was bordered to the west by Lusitania, and to the northeast by Hispania Tarraconensis. Baetica remained one of the basic ...

, brought the

Gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...

to Ávila, and was created its first bishop. After the

fall of the Western Roman Empire The fall of the Western Roman Empire (also called the fall of the Roman Empire or the fall of Ancient Rome, Rome) was the loss of central political control in the Western Roman Empire, a process in which the Empire failed to enforce its rul ...

, Ávila became a stronghold of the

Visigoths The Visigoths (; la, Visigothi, Wisigothi, Vesi, Visi, Wesi, Wisi) were an early Germanic people who, along with the Ostrogoths, constituted the two major political entities of the Goths within the Roman Empire in late antiquity, or what is ...

. Conquered by the Moors (Arabs) (who called it Ābila, آبلة), it was repeatedly attacked by the northern Iberian Christian kingdoms, becoming a virtually uninhabited no man's land. It was repopulated about 1088 following the definitive reconquest of the area by

Raymond of Burgundy Raymond of Burgundy (c. 1070 – 24 May 1107) was the ruler of Galicia as vassal of Alfonso VI of León and Castile, the Emperor of All Spain, from about 1090 until his death. He was the fourth son of Count William I of Burgundy and Stephanie. He ...

, son in law of Alfonso VI of León and Castile. He employed two foreigners,

Casandro Romano Saúl Armendáriz (born May 20, 1970) is an American-born Mexican ''luchador'', or professional wrestler, who works as an ''exótico'' for several independent promotions all over the world under the ring name Cassandro. He is a former NWA Worl ...

and

Florin de Pituenga The Florence, Florentine florin was a gold coin struck from 1252 to 1533 with no significant change in its design or metal content standard during that time. It had 54 grain (measure), grains (3.499 grams, 0.113 troy ounce) of nominally pure or ...

, to construct a stone frontier town and creating the walls that still stand. The city achieved a period of prosperity under the

Catholic Monarchs The Catholic Monarchs were Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon, whose marriage and joint rule marked the ''de facto'' unification of Spain. They were both from the House of Trastámara and were second cousins, being bot ...

in the early 16th century. During the

Revolt of the Comuneros The Revolt of the Comuneros ( es, Guerra de las Comunidades de Castilla, "War of the Communities of Castile") was an uprising by citizens of Castile against the rule of Charles I and his administration between 1520 and 1521. At its height, th ...

, the city became the first meeting place of the on 1 August 1520. The Junta of Ávila drafted the ''Proyecto de Ley Perpetua'' (a sort of proto-constitutional draft that never got to enter into force) in the Cathedral of Ávila in the Summer of 1520, envisaging that cities assembled every three years without the requirement for royal sanction or presence, determining taxation and acting as a check and balance on government activity. Vista de Ávila

The city experienced a long decline since the 17th century, its population reducing to just 4,000 inhabitants. Avila Puerta del Alcazar 1912 01

In the 19th century, there was some population growth with the construction of the railway line from Madrid to the French border at

Irun Irun ( es, Irún, eu, Irun) is a town of the Bidasoaldea region in the province of Gipuzkoa in the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Autonomous Community, Spain. History It lies on the foundations of the ancient Oiasso, cited as ...

and an important junction near the town. In 1936, at the outbreak of the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...

, the town quickly became part of the area occupied by rebel troops. Growth continued slowly again under

Franco Franco may refer to: Name * Franco (name) * Francisco Franco (1892–1975), Spanish general and dictator of Spain from 1939 to 1975 * Franco Luambo (1938–1989), Congolese musician, the "Grand Maître" Prefix * Franco, a prefix used when ref ...

, but Ávila has not had a major influence in Spanish society in recent history, apart from the nurturing of politicians such as

Adolfo Suárez Adolfo Suárez González, 1st Duke of Suárez (; 25 September 1932 – 23 March 2014) was a Spanish lawyer and politician. Suárez was Spain's first democratically elected prime minister since the Second Spanish Republic and a key figure in th ...

, the first democratically elected prime minister of Spain post-Franco, and José María Aznar, prime minister from 1996 to 2004, who represented Ávila in the

Cortes Cortes, Cortés, Cortês, Corts, or Cortès may refer to: People * Cortes (surname), including a list of people with the name ** Hernán Cortés (1485–1547), a Spanish conquistador Places * Cortes, Navarre, a village in the South border of N ...

but was not from the town.

Architecture

The Walls of Ávila

The main landmark in the city is the imposing

Walls of Ávila The Walls of Ávila, completed between the 11th and 14th centuries, are the defensive walls of Ávila, Spain, and its principal historic feature. These medieval fortifications are the most complete and best preserved in all the country. The Old T ...

(11th–14th centuries), begun in 1090. The enclosed area is with a perimeter of , 88 blocks of semicircular towers, 2,500

merlon A merlon is the solid upright section of a battlement (a crenellated parapet) in medieval architecture or fortifications.Friar, Stephen (2003). ''The Sutton Companion to Castles'', Sutton Publishing, Stroud, 2003, p. 202. Merlons are sometimes ...

s, curtain walls thick, with an average height of , and 9 gates. The walls represent the largest fully illuminated monument in the world. It is possible to walk upon the walls for roughly half their circumference. While some of the walls will never be walkable because of their integration into other structures, a large stretch has yet to be made safe for pedestrians.

Cathedral

The construction of the iron-grey granite Gothic

Cathedral of Ávila A cathedral is a church that contains the ''cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominations ...

is said to have commenced in 1107 under

Alvar Garcia de Estrella An alvar is a biological environment based on a limestone plain with thin or no soil and, as a result, sparse grassland vegetation. Often flooded in the spring, and affected by drought in midsummer, alvars support a distinctive group of prairie ...

. Other historians believe the cathedral to be the work of the master mason Fruchel in the 12th century, coinciding with the repopulation of the town led by

. The eastern apse, which forms part of the town walls, is half church, half fortress, and it was here that the loyal citizens elevated

Alonso VII Alonso is a Spanish name of Germanic origin that is a Castilian variant of ''Adalfuns''. Geographical distribution As of 2014, 36.6% of all known bearers of the surname ''Alonso'' were residents of Spain (frequency 1:222), 26.1% of Mexico (1:83 ...

as their king, hence ''Ávila del Rey''. The transept was finished in 1350 by Bishop Sancho de Ávila. The earlier Romanesque parts are made of a striking red-and-white "blood" limestone, while the Gothic parts were built with pure white stone. * Northern façade: Gothic style at left and added renaissance at right. Porch of the Apostles. * Western front: Burgundian style, with two towers forming a covered portal. * Interior: Latin cross with three naves, a crossing and

ambulatory The ambulatory ( la, ambulatorium, ‘walking place’) is the covered passage around a cloister or the processional way around the east end of a cathedral or large church and behind the high altar. The first ambulatory was in France in the 11th ...

. * Capilla Mayor: Features a monumental

altarpiece An altarpiece is an artwork such as a painting, sculpture or relief representing a religious subject made for placing at the back of or behind the altar of a Christian church. Though most commonly used for a single work of art such as a painting o ...

Pedro Berruguete Pedro Berruguete (c. 1450 – 1504) was a Spanish painter whose art is regarded as a transitional style between gothic and Renaissance art. Berruguete most famously created paintings of the first few years of the Inquisition and of religious i ...

. * Chapel of San Segundo, the first bishop: Attached to a column of the cruise. Renaissance style. * Chapel of Santa Catalina: Made of

alabaster Alabaster is a mineral or rock that is soft, often used for carving, and is processed for plaster powder. Archaeologists and the stone processing industry use the word differently from geologists. The former use it in a wider sense that includes ...

. * Choir and Rood screen: Renaissance style, decorated with reliefs depicting scenes of saints, carved from limestone. The alabaster tomb of Alonso Tostado de Madrigal, bishop in 1499, shown in the act of writing is in the

: "so enlightened were his doctrines that they caused the blind to see". * Cloister: Access from the Romanesque cathedral by a door on the south aisle.

style.

Basílica de San Vicente

* Construction began in the 12th century and lasted until the 14th century. Its design is attributed to the French master Giral Fruchel, the author himself from the cathedral and pioneer of the Gothic style in Spain. * The overall structure is similar to the Latin

basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica is a large public building with multiple functions, typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek East. The building gave its name ...

s. It has a Latin cross plan, three naves, dome,

tribunes Tribune () was the title of various elected officials in ancient Rome. The two most important were the tribunes of the plebs and the military tribunes. For most of Roman history, a college of ten tribunes of the plebs acted as a check on the ...

, three

apse In architecture, an apse (plural apses; from Latin 'arch, vault' from Ancient Greek 'arch'; sometimes written apsis, plural apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome, also known as an ''exedra''. In ...

atrium Atrium may refer to: Anatomy * Atrium (heart), an anatomical structure of the heart * Atrium, the genital structure next to the genital aperture in the reproductive system of gastropods * Atrium of the ventricular system of the brain * Pulmona ...

, two towers, and

crypt A crypt (from Latin ''crypta'' "vault") is a stone chamber beneath the floor of a church or other building. It typically contains coffins, sarcophagi, or religious relics. Originally, crypts were typically found below the main apse of a chur ...

. * All the façade and the environment where it is located are of great artistic value. * Interior: Latin cross room with three naves. The pillars are of a Greek cross with half columns on the heads. * Crypt: Consists of three chapels, for the three apses of the church are mainly romanesque and have the best

capitals Capital may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** List of national capital cities * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences * Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used f ...

of the monument. Highlight the tomb of Saint Peter of the Boat and, above all, the Cenotaph of the Holy Brothers Martyrs, the head of the temple, Saint Vincent of Ávila, and her sisters, along with the torture he suffered in the 4th century, Saint Sabina and Saint Cristeta, (Cenotafio de los santos Vicente, Sabina y Cristeta), one of the most important works of Romanesque sculpture in Spain.

Convento de San José

Avila - Convento de San Jose o de las Madres 03

The Convent of Saint Joseph is the first monastery of

Discalced Carmelite The Discalced Carmelites, known officially as the Order of the Discalced Carmelites of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel ( la, Ordo Fratrum Carmelitarum Discalceatorum Beatae Mariae Virginis de Monte Carmelo) or the Order of Discalced Carme ...

nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 599. The term is o ...

s founded by Saint Teresa of Jesus. The convent was built in the year of 1562, although the most important architectural element, the church, was built in 1607. The church was designed by the architect

Francisco de Mora Francisco de Mora (c.1553–1610) was a Spanish Renaissance architect. Mora was born in Cuenca, Spain, Cuenca, and was an uncle of both the architect Juan Gómez de Mora and the humanist Baltasar Porreño. He is considered one of the best r ...

(1553–1610). It has been designated a national monument since 1968.

Iglesia de San Pedro

* Start date: about 1100. * The church of Saint Peter is located outside the town walls in the

Plaza A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true geometric square, used for community gatherings. ...

de Mercado Grande at the door of the Alcazar. Presents analogous with that of San Vicente. * Latin cross floor and three naves of five sections. Apsidal chapels: mayor chapel, chapel of the south apse and chapel of the north apse.

Ermita de San Segundo

A hermitage located to the west of Ávila, outside the town walls, on the right bank of the Adaja river. Highlights the sculpted capitals in which the sculptor is the footprint of the apse of San Andrés. Alabaster statue made by

Juan de Juni Juan de Juni (Fr. Jean de Joigny; c. 1507–1577) was a French–Spanish sculptor, who also worked as a painter and architect. Career Juan de Juni was born in Joigny, France, but began working in Italy, where he was first employed. In 1533 ...

. Popular belief has it that, on introducing a handkerchief into the tomb and asking for three wishes, the saint will grant one. His pilgrimage is celebrated on 2 May, Segundo being the patron saint of Ávila.

Palacio de Don Diego del Águila

This 16th-century palace is located inside the walls and attached to it as junt walk through the door of San Vicente, defended the access of Muslim troops. Located on a busy street by different arms of the Águila family.

Real Monasterio de Santo Tomás

Real Monasterio de Santo Tomás Real Monasterio de Santo Tomás (Royal Monastery of St. Thomas) is a monastery of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain in Gothic architecture, Gothic style in Ávila, Spain. It was founded in 1482, as a Dominican Order, Dominican convent to honour Saint ...

is a Dominican convent of the late 15th century. Despite being away from the historic centre, it is one of the most important monuments of the town.

Santuario de Nuestra Señora de Sonsoles

This sanctuary is located 6 km from the capital in a picturesque area, and has a restaurant, hostel, picnic areas, and playgrounds. There is located the statue of the Virgin of Sonsoles, co-patroness of Ávila, and patroness of the fields in the province. It is tradition in this town to make pilgrimage to the sanctuary, making a wish to the Virgin, and to get to the door barefoot until you enter the church.

Secular architecture

Notable examples of secular architecture are the Valderrábanos Palace (15th century), the Casa de los Deanes (16th century), the Torreón de los Guzmanes and the Verdugos Palace (15th–16th centuries).

Conference and Exhibition Centre Lienzo Norte

* In mid-2007, work began on the convention centre. In April 2009, its construction was completed and it opened its doors. * The building, designed by architect Francisco José Mangado, is modern in style. It covers and area of , including the area of the neighbouring gardens and parking. * There is a large symphony hall, large glass galleries, café, restaurant, conference room, catering services, storage, reception, store room, etc. * The symphony hall has a capacity of 2,000 and the secondary hall of 500. The two conference rooms have each 1,000 seats.

Museums and sights

* Museum of Ávila * Museum of la Encarnación * Museum of Santa Teresa * Museum of the Cathedral * Museo of Santo Tomás * Museum of Oriental Art * Museum of Natural Sciences * Living Water * Hall of Torreón de los Guzmanes * Sala de la Diputación * Sala del Episcopio *

Caprotti Museum Caprotti is an Italian surname. Notable people include: * Arturo Caprotti (1881-1938), Italian architect and engineer who invented the Caprotti valve gear * Bernardo Caprotti (1925-2016), Italian billionaire and owner of Esselunga grocery store cha ...

(which houses the work of Italian painter Guido Caprotti (1887–1966), based in Ávila from 1916)

Universities

Ávila has two universities: the

Catholic University of Ávila Saint Teresa of Jesus Catholic University (), commonly known as the Catholic University of Ávila (UCAV), is a private, Catholic university, located in Ávila, Castile and León, Spain. It is named after Saint Teresa of Ávila. The current re ...

(UCAV) and the University of Mysticism, which became operational on September 2, 2008. There are three colleges of the

University of Salamanca The University of Salamanca ( es, Universidad de Salamanca) is a Spanish higher education institution, located in the city of Salamanca, in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It was founded in 1218 by King Alfonso IX. It is th ...

(USAL): the Polytechnic School of Ávila, the College of Education and Tourism in Ávila, and the School of Nursing.

Sports venues

* Town Sport: swimming Pool, heated pool, tennis, paddle tennis, athletics, football, basketball, etc. * North Zone: heated pool, football, basketball and tennis. * Abulense Casino Club: pools, golf, tennis, paddle, cafeteria, restaurant, football, skating, basketball etc. * Naturávila: golf, swimming, horse riding, walking, basketball, paddle tennis, football. * San Antonio Sports Hall: in the north of the town is a large covered pavilion with basketball courts, tennis, soccer, squash, climbing. * Polideportivo Carlos Sastre, on the outskirts of the town. Its inauguration took place on January 30, 2009, with a friendly match between Óbila Club de Basket of

LEB Plata The LEB Plata is the third basketball division of the Spanish basketball league system and the second basketball division organized by the Spanish Basketball Federation. Since 2019, three teams are promoted to LEB Oro and six teams are relegated t ...

and

LEB Oro LEB or Leb may refer to: * Lausanne–Echallens–Bercher railway, Switzerland * Lebanon, UNDP country code * Lebanon Municipal Airport (New Hampshire) (FAA identifier) * Lexham English Bible * Life expectancy at birth * Liga Española de Balonces ...

C.B. León. It has basketball courts, soccer, tennis, volleyball, etc.

Sports teams

The town is home to

Óbila CB Óbila Club de Basket, also known as Ávila Auténtica Carrefour "El Bulevar" is a Spanish professional basketball team based in Ávila, Castilla y León and plays in the Multiusos Carlos Sastre, in LEB Plata. Óbila is the only basketball team in ...

, a professional basketball team of Spain's

. The team plays its home games at the ''Multiusos Carlos Sastre''. The local football team,

Real Ávila CF Real Ávila Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. is a Spanish football team based in Ávila, in the autonomous community of Castile and León. Founded in 1923, it currently plays in Tercera División RFEF – Group 8, holding home games at '' Estadio Adolfo ...

, plays at the

Adolfo Suárez Stadium The Adolfo Suárez Stadium (Spanish: ''Estadio Adolfo Suárez'') is a football stadium located in the city of Ávila, Spain. Owned by the Ayuntamiento de Ávila, Real Ávila CF plays its home fixtures at the stadium. It has a capacity of 6,000. ...

, owned by the municipality.

Popular celebrations

The first public festival after the winter cold is the

Holy week Holy Week ( la, Hebdomada Sancta or , ; grc, Ἁγία καὶ Μεγάλη Ἑβδομάς, translit=Hagia kai Megale Hebdomas, lit=Holy and Great Week) is the most sacred week in the liturgical year in Christianity. In Eastern Churches, w ...

. The temperature is cold, especially at night, so one should not forget warm clothes. Ávila holidays are October 15, Santa Teresa de Jesús, and May 2, San Segundo. The festivities take place around October 15 and the Summer Festival in mid-July.

Holy Week

Holy Week as celebrated in Ávila is considered of international tourist interest. It is one of the highest expressions of art and wealth as seen in numerous steps of

Holy Week Holy Week ( la, Hebdomada Sancta or , ; grc, Ἁγία καὶ Μεγάλη Ἑβδομάς, translit=Hagia kai Megale Hebdomas, lit=Holy and Great Week) is the most sacred week in the liturgical year in Christianity. In Eastern Churches, w ...

along the town walls. Processions have either or fifteen or twelve fraternities.

Fiestas de Santa Teresa

The festivities of Santa Teresa last almost the entire month of October. The proclamation is done by the mayor in the Plaza Mayor, accompanied by some celebrity. After the proclamation was organized in the same place a musical performance with renowned singers. The festival program includes several musical concerts, a fairground, bullfights,

passacaglia The passacaglia (; ) is a musical form that originated in early seventeenth-century Spain and is still used today by composers. It is usually of a serious character and is often based on a bass-ostinato and written in triple metre. Origin The ter ...

, processions of the fan groups, chocolate with churros and liturgical acts naturally focus on the day of the patroness, on 15 October with multitudinous mass presided by Bishop, then celebrated a great procession, headed the image of Santa Teresa with the Virgin of La Caridad, and is accompanied by all the authorities of Ávila, civil and military, and several bands music. The procession takes place between the Cathedral of Ávila and Santa Teresa Church. Takes place the day before the "Procession Girl" from the Iglesian de Santa Teresa to the cathedral.

Cuisine

Typical dishes of the town and region are "Judías del Barco", "Chuletón de Ávila", "Patatas revolconas" and "Yemas de Santa Teresa". Also worth mentioning is "

Hornazo Hornazo () is a Spanish meat pie eaten in the provinces of Salamanca and Ávila. It is made with flour and yeast and stuffed with pork loin, spicy chorizo, and hard-boiled eggs. In Salamanca, it is traditionally eaten in the field during the "M ...

", "Bun stuffed with sausage, bacon, steak and eggs", "Mollejas de ternera" or the " Cochinillo", which can be found in the capital and in Arévalo.

Yemas de Santa Teresa

This sweet can always be found in the traditional pastry shop "La Flor de Castilla". In the other bakeries in the town it is produced under the name "Yemas de Ávila", or simply "Yemas", produced as its name indicates from egg yolk.

Chuletón de Ávila

This is a grilled

T-bone steak The T-bone and porterhouse are steaks of beef cut from the short loin (called the sirloin in Commonwealth countries and Ireland). Both steaks include a "T"-shaped lumbar vertebra with sections of abdominal internal oblique muscle on each side ...

, best cooked rare, which can be enjoyed in any hotel in the town. It is made from Avileña-Negra ibérica, an

indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention *Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band *Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...

black cow known for its excellent meat, whose fame transcends the borders of the province and the country.

Twin towns – sister cities

Ávila is twinned with: *

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Île-de-France , timezone1 = CET , utc_offset1 = +01:00 , timezone1_DST = CEST , utc_offset1_DST = +02:00 , blank_name_sec1 = Gross regional product , blank_info_sec1 = Ranked 1st , bla ...

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Abruzzo Abruzzo (, , ; nap, label=Neapolitan language, Abruzzese Neapolitan, Abbrùzze , ''Abbrìzze'' or ''Abbrèzze'' ; nap, label=Sabino dialect, Aquilano, Abbrùzzu; #History, historically Abruzzi) is a Regions of Italy, region of Southern Italy wi ...

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Transport

The Ávila Railway Station serves the town. The closest airport is

in Madrid-Barajas. The city can be reached via the A-6 from Madrid. The city itself can be explored on foot.

References

External links

*
Avila's Town Hall

Avila's Tourist Guide

(in English)

Satellite picture by Google Maps

Citizens' association for the defence of heritage of Ávila - Photos of Ávila
{{DEFAULTSORT:Avila Municipalities in the Province of Ávila World Heritage Sites in Spain Province of Ávila Cultural tourism in Spain