Betancuria is a small town and a municipality in the western part of the island of

Fuerteventura Fuerteventura () is one of the Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean, part of the North Africa region, and politically part of Spain. It is located away from the northwestern coast of Africa. The island was declared a biosphere reserve by UNES ...

in the

Province of Las Palmas The Province of Las Palmas (, ; es, Provincia de Las Palmas) is a province of Spain, consisting of the eastern part of the autonomous community of the Canary Islands. Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, capital city of this province and of the is ...

, Canary Islands, Spain. The population is 811 (2013),Instituto Canario de Estadística
, population and the area is . It is situated in a mountainous region, west of

Antigua Antigua ( ), also known as Waladli or Wadadli by the native population, is an island in the Lesser Antilles. It is one of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region and the main island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua and Barb ...

and southwest of the island capital

Puerto del Rosario Puerto del Rosario () is a town and a municipality in the eastern part of the island of Fuerteventura in the Las Palmas province in the Canary Islands. It has been the capital of Fuerteventura since 1860. The town's population is 29,160 (2013),

. By population it is the smallest municipality in Fuerteventura as well as all of the Canary Islands. Betancuria is named after

Jean de Béthencourt Jean de Béthencourt () (1362–1425) was a French explorer who in 1402 led an expedition to the Canary Islands, landing first on the north side of Lanzarote. From there he conquered for Castile the islands of Fuerteventura (1405) and El Hi ...

, who founded the town in 1404 with Gadifer de La Salle. It was the original capital of the Kingdom of the Canary Islands, and later capital of Fuerteventura. In 1424 Pope

Martin V Pope Martin V ( la, Martinus V; it, Martino V; January/February 1369 – 20 February 1431), born Otto (or Oddone) Colonna, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 11 November 1417 to his death in February 1431. Hi ...

erected in Betancuria brief Bishopric of Fuerteventura, which encompassed all the Canary Islands except the island of

Lanzarote Lanzarote (, , ) is a Spanish island, the easternmost of the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean. It is located approximately off the north coast of Africa and from the Iberian Peninsula. Covering , Lanzarote is the fourth-largest of the ...

. The origin of this bishopric is directly related to the events that occurred after the Great Schism (1378-1417). This was due to the fact that the bishop of San Marcial del Rubicón in

(only diocese at the time of the Canary Islands) did not recognize the papacy of Martin V, as this bishop was a supporter of

anti-Pope An antipope ( la, antipapa) is a person who makes a significant and substantial attempt to occupy the position of Bishop of Rome and leader of the Catholic Church in opposition to the legitimately elected pope. At times between the 3rd and mid- ...

Benedict XIII. The Bishopric of Fuerteventura was based in ''Parish of Santa María de Betancuria'', for it to rank high cathedral. After the reintegration of the Diocese of San Marcial del Rubicón in the papacy of Martin V, the Bishopric of Fuerteventura was abolished only seven years after it was created in 1431.El Cisma de Occidente y el Obispado de Fuerteventura
/ref> It was razed by

pirates Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...

in 1593, but remained capital of Fuerteventura until 1834, when

became capital. In Vega de Rio Palmas is the hermitage of the Virgen de la Peña, the patron saint of the island of Fuerteventura.

Gallery

File:Betancuria 01.JPG File:Betancuria 02.JPG File:In Betancuria.jpg File:08.03.07 090.jpg File:Vega del Río Palmas, La Ermita 2.jpg

References

{{Authority control 1404 establishments Populated places established in the 1400s Municipalities in Fuerteventura Capitals of former nations 15th-century establishments in Castile

Gallery

See also

References