Benavente is a town and

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

in the north of the province of Zamora , 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 of Spain. It has about 20,000 inhabitants. Located north of the capital on an important communications hub, it was repopulated by King

Ferdinand II of León Ferdinand II (c. 1137 – 22 January 1188), was a member of the Castilian cadet branch of the House of Ivrea and King of León and Galicia from 1157 until his death. Life Family Born in Toledo, Castile, Ferdinand was the third but second surv ...

, who also awarded it law-codes (a ''fuero'') in 1167. It was originally known as ''Malgrat'' or ''Malgrado''.

Location

Benavente is located in the North of Province of Zamora, in the North-West of Spain. It is 65 km away from Zamora City and 260 km from

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the Largest cities of the Europ ...

and its coordinates are 42° 0' N 5° 41' W. The adjacent municipalities of Benavente are

Villanueva de Azoague Villanueva de Azoague ) is a municipality located in the province of Zamora, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census (INE INE, Ine or ine may refer to: Institutions * Institut für Nukleare Entsorgung, a German nuclear research ...

, Manganeses de la Polvorosa,

Santa Cristina de la Polvorosa Santa Cristina de la Polvorosa is a municipality located in the province of Zamora, Castile and León, Spain. References Municipalities of the Province of Zamora {{Zamora-geo-stub ...

, Villabrázaro, San Cristóbal de Entreviñas,

Castrogonzalo Castrogonzalo is a municipality located in the province of Zamora, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2009 census (INE INE, Ine or ine may refer to: Institutions * Institut für Nukleare Entsorgung, a German nuclear research center ...

Santa Colomba de las Monjas Santa Colomba de las Monjas is a municipality located in the province of Zamora, Castile and León, Spain. , the municipality has a population of 294 inhabitants. References Municipalities of the Province of Zamora {{Zamora-geo-stu ...

and

Arcos de la Polvorosa Arcos de la Polvorosa is a municipality located in the province of Zamora, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census (INE INE, Ine or ine may refer to: Institutions * Institut für Nukleare Entsorgung, a German nuclear researc ...

, all of them belonging to Province of Zamora.

Transport

Roads and Highways

Benavente is connected to the national road network through different roads and highways: * ·

Autovía Ruta de la Plata An ''autovía'' is one of two classes of major highway in the Spanish road system similar to a British motorway or an American freeway. It is akin to the autopista, the other major highway class, but has fewer features and is never a toll road ...

Gijón Gijón () or () is a city and municipality in north-western Spain. It is the largest city and municipality by population in the autonomous community of Asturias. It is located on the coast of the Cantabrian Sea in the Bay of Biscay, in the cent ...

- Oviedo -

Mieres Mieres is a municipality of Asturias, northern Spain, with approximately 38,000 inhabitants. The municipality of Mieres is made up of the capital, Mieres del Camino and the villages of Baiña, Figaredo, Cenera, Loredo, La Peña, La Rebollada, ...

- Puerto Pajares - León - Benavente - Zamora -

Salamanca Salamanca () is a city in western Spain and is the capital of the Province of Salamanca in the autonomous community of Castile and León. The city lies on several rolling hills by the Tormes River. Its Old City was declared a UNESCO World Herit ...

Béjar Béjar () is a town and Municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain located in the province of Salamanca, autonomous community of Castile and León. As of 2018, it had a population of 12,961. The historical development of the town has been link ...

Plasencia Plasencia () is a walled market city in the province of Cáceres, Extremadura, Western Spain. , it has a population of 41,047. Situated on the bank of the Jerte River, Plasencia has a historic quarter that is a consequence of the city's stra ...

- Cáceres - Mérida -

Sevilla Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula ...

. * · Autovía del Noroeste.

- Benavente - Lugo -

A Coruña A Coruña (; es, La Coruña ; historical English: Corunna or The Groyne) is a city and municipality of Galicia, Spain. A Coruña is the most populated city in Galicia and the second most populated municipality in the autonomous community and s ...

Arteixo Arteixo () is a municipality in the Province of A Coruña, part of the autonomous community of Galicia in northwestern Spain. Its area is 93.76 km2 and its population is 31,005 (2013). Its population density is 317.43 people/km2. It is an i ...

* · Autovía de las Rías Bajas. Benavente - Sanabria -

Verín Verín is a town and municipality in the southeast of the province of Ourense, autonomous community of Galicia, Spain. The population of the municipality is about 14,433. It is located 70 kilometers east of the provincial capital of Ourense an ...

- Ourense -

Vigo Vigo ( , , , ) is a city and municipality in the province of Pontevedra, within the autonomous community of Galicia, Spain. Located in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula, it sits on the southern shore of an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean, the ...

. * ·

Palencia Palencia () is a city of Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the province of Palencia. Located in the Northwest of the Iberian Peninsula, in the northern half o ...

-Benavente.

Bus Services

Bus services are provided in the Bus Station by different companies like Alsa, Auto-Res, Empresa Vivas, Linecar or Autocares Julio Fernández. There is a taxi stand in the Bus Station.

National lines

Daily services to: A Coruña, Astorga, Algeciras, Asturias (Oviedo-Gijón), Ávila, Badajoz, Barcelona, Bilbao, Cáceres, Cádiz, Cangas de Narcea, Irún, La Bañeza, León, Lugo, Logroño, Málaga, Madrid, Mérida, Ourense, Monforte, Palencia, Plasencia, Ponferrada, Pontevedra, Salamanca, San Fernando, San Sebastián, Santiago de Compostela, Sevilla, Valladolid, Verín, Vigo, Villablino, Zafra, Zamora and Zaragoza.

International lines

* Switzerland * Germany * Belgium * Holland * France - (París) * France (Lyon - Grenoble) * Andorra

Regional lines

* Alcubilla de Nogales * Alija del Infantado * Arcos de la Polvorosa * Ayoo de Vidriales * Camarzana de Tera * Carracedo - 13:00 * Cubo de Benavente * Ferreras de Abajo * Milles de la Polvorosa * Molezuelas * Mozar * Puebla de Sanabria * Pueblica de Valverde * Santa Colomba de las Monjas * Santibáñez de Vidriales * Tábara * Uña de Quintana * Valle del Tera * Valderas * Villafáfila * Villalpando * Villanueva de Azoague * Villarrín de Campos

Local Service

Senior citizens have a free urban bus service.

Taxi

The town has several taxi stands, one of them in the Bus Station.

Tourism

Parador

*Parador de Turismo Fernando II, which occupies the Caracol Tower, a 16th-century castle with wide segmental miradors and a

Mudéjar Mudéjar ( , also , , ca, mudèjar , ; from ar, مدجن, mudajjan, subjugated; tamed; domesticated) refers to the group of Muslims who remained in Iberia in the late medieval period despite the Christian reconquest. It is also a term for ...

coffered ceiling in the main section

Churches

*Church of Santa María de Azogue, in

Romanesque style Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of medieval Europe characterized by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque style, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 11th century, this later ...

, begun in 1180. It has a Latin cross plan, with a nave and two aisles, separated by cruciform pilasters, with five apses. The nave has Gothic

cross vault A groin vault or groined vault (also sometimes known as a double barrel vault or cross vault) is produced by the intersection at right angles of two barrel vaults. Honour, H. and J. Fleming, (2009) ''A World History of Art''. 7th edn. London: L ...

s added in the 16th century. The interior is home of several Gothic sculptures, such as that of the "Annunciation" (13th century) Benavente - Iglesia de San Juan del Mercado, exterior 05

Benavente - Iglesia de San Juan del Mercado, exterior 05

* San Juan del Mercado Church, in Romanesque style (12th-13th centuries). It has three decorated portals with the Adoration of the Magi, the Virgin and Child and scenes of the birth of Jesus.

Hostel

*Hospital of La Piedad, an old pilgrim hostel.

Other

*Hermitage of Soledad (early 16th century) *Caracol Tower

Events

* Fiestas de la Veguilla. The local celebration in honour of the ''Virgen de la Vega'' to celebrate the ''torno al llamado'' (Monday of Pascuilla). * Fiestas del toro enmaromado. Celebrated the day before the corpus, where the young men run (

Running of the Bulls A running of the bulls ( es, encierro, from the verb ''encerrar'', 'to corral, to enclose'; oc, abrivado, literally 'haste, momentum'; ca, correbous, 'run-bulls') is an event that involves running in front of a small group of bulls, typicall ...

) in front of a long rope held on the horns of a bull.

Accommodation

Hotels

*"Parador de Turismo Rey Fernando II de León" (H****) Paseos de la Mota, s/n *"Villa de Benavente" (H ****) Avda. de las Américas, s/n *"Santiago" (H ***) Avda. Maragatos, 34 *"Orense" (H **) C/ San Antón Viejo, 4 *"Arenas" (H *) Ctra. de Madrid, Km 261

Hostels

*"Hostal Avenida" (HS**) Avda. El Ferial, 17 *"Bristol" (HS**) C/ Santa Cruz, 44. *"Universal" (HS**) C/ Sancti Spíritus, 17 *"Alameda" (HS**) Autovía Madrid - Coruña km. 262 *"Covadonga" (HS**) Avenida Federico Silva, 16 *"Paradero 3" (HS*) Autovía Madrid – Coruña Km 261 *"Paraíso" (HS *) C/ los Herreros, 64 *"La Trucha" (HS) C/ la Viña, 5 *"Jara" (HS) Autovía Madrid-Coruña km. 261 *"Pensión La Trapería" (P) C/Agujero de San Andrés, 10

Climate

It is characterized as a

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 ...

with continental characteristics due to the altitude of the municipality and its distance to the sea. The amount of winter frosts is increased, taking place even in spring, with consequential damage to some of the local agriculture.

Twin towns – sister cities

Puebla de Zaragoza Puebla de Zaragoza (; nah, Cuetlaxcoapan), formally Heroica Puebla de Zaragoza, formerly Puebla de los Ángeles during colonial times, or known in English simply as Puebla, is the seat of Puebla Municipality. It is the capital and largest city ...

, Puebla,

México Mexico ( Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatem ...

. *

Vila Real Vila Real () is the capital and largest city of the Vila Real District, in the North region. It is also the seat of the Douro intermunicipal community and of the Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro historical province. The Vila Real municipality cover ...

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

Dukes of Benavente

El Greco, Portrait of Juan Alfonso de Pimentel y Herrera

Notable people

* José Carlos Guerra, painter. * Maria Josefa Alfonso Pîmentel Tellez Girón Borja y Centelles, fourteenth Countess and twelfth Duchess of Benavente, a patron of

Goya Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (; ; 30 March 174616 April 1828) was a Spanish romantic painter and printmaker. He is considered the most important Spanish artist of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. His paintings, drawings, and e ...

and Boccherini * Fray Toribio de Benavente o Motolinía (1477–1569), a missionary to Mexico * Alonso Briceño, one of the thirteen conquistadors led by

Francisco Pizarro Francisco Pizarro González, Marquess of the Atabillos (; ; – 26 June 1541) was a Spanish conquistador, best known for his expeditions that led to the Spanish conquest of Peru. Born in Trujillo, Spain to a poor family, Pizarro chose ...

* Pita Pizarro (1792–1845), a minister of

Isabella II of Spain Isabella II ( es, Isabel II; 10 October 1830 – 9 April 1904), was Queen of Spain from 29 September 1833 until 30 September 1868. Shortly before her birth, the King Ferdinand VII of Spain issued a Pragmatic Sanction to ensure the successi ...

* Francisco de Castro Pascual (1871–1949), microbiologist * José Nuñez Pernía (1805–1879), a Marquis of Nuñez and the first president of the Sociedad Hahnemanniana Matritense * Pedro Nuñez Granés (1869–1944), engineer * Celestino Alonso Rodríguez Valdespino (1828–1875), chess player * Federico Silva Muñoz (1923–1997), politician * Laura Iglesias Romero, a scientist who does research for the CSIC * Francisco José Ynduráin (1940–2008), scientist *

Almudena Fernández Almudena Fernández (born 1 January 1974) is a Spanish model. Early life She was born in Benavente, in the province of Zamora.http://i.imgbox.com/PzAPV8mu.jpg Modeling Fernández has been the cover girl for fashion magazines such as ''E ...

(born 1977), model

Language

Regional speech is influenced by the

Leonese language Leonese ( ast-leo, Llionés, ast, Lleonés) is a set of vernacular Romance language varieties currently spoken in northern and western portions of the historical region of León in Spain (the modern provinces of León, Zamora, and Sala ...

Cinemas and theatres

* "Reina Sofía" Theatre. * "Multicines Benavente" Cinema.Multicines Benavente
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References

{{authority control Municipalities of the Province of Zamora Astures