Lerma is a village in the
province of Burgos
The province of Burgos is a Provinces of Spain, province of northern Spain, in the northeastern part of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Castile-Leon, Castile and León. It is bordered by the provinces of Palencia (p ...
, part of the
autonomous community
The autonomous communities () are the first-level administrative divisions of Spain, created in accordance with the Spanish Constitution of 1978, with the aim of guaranteeing limited autonomy to the nationalities and regions that make up Sp ...
of
Castile and León
Castile and León is an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in northwestern Spain. Castile and León is the largest autonomous community in Spain by area, covering 94,222 km2. It is, however, sparsely populated, with a pop ...
, Spain. It has important monuments dating from the 17th century, which were built by the
Duke of Lerma
Francisco Gómez de Sandoval y Rojas, 1st Duke of Lerma, 5th Marquess of Denia, 1st Count of Ampudia (1552/1553 – 17 May 1625), was a favourite of Philip III of Spain, the first of the '' validos'' ('most worthy') through whom the later H ...
.
The village is home to the headquarters of the Spanish wine ''denominación de origen protegida''
Arlanza DOP.
History
The town of Lerma dates back to at least as far as the Iron Age, when the
Celtiberian tribe of the ''vacceos'' lived in the area. The town was formed in a strategic position on a hill overlooking the
Arlanza River. The area was then conquered in turn by the Romans, the Visigoths, and the Berbers, and in the 10th century was conquered by the Christians during the
Reconquista
The ''Reconquista'' (Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese for ) or the fall of al-Andalus was a series of military and cultural campaigns that European Christian Reconquista#Northern Christian realms, kingdoms waged ag ...
when the Arlanza River became the border.
From then Lerma grew as a medieval walled town, and witnessed a period of significant growth and wealth in the 17th century. This growth included the construction of buildings in
Herrerian style under the patronage of the
Duke of Lerma
Francisco Gómez de Sandoval y Rojas, 1st Duke of Lerma, 5th Marquess of Denia, 1st Count of Ampudia (1552/1553 – 17 May 1625), was a favourite of Philip III of Spain, the first of the '' validos'' ('most worthy') through whom the later H ...
that today are among the best-preserved
historical-artistic complexes in Spain. After the death of the duke, the town went into slow decline. During the
Peninsular War
The Peninsular War (1808–1814) was fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Kingdom of Portugal, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French ...
the town was occupied by French troops, who burned and looted the town and convents on their retreat
Gallery
Image:Lermacolegiata lou19.JPG, Collegiate church of San Pedro.
Image:Lerma - Palacio Ducal 2.jpg, Ducal palace of Lerma.
Image:Lermaclasisas lou16.JPG, Monastery of la Ascensión de Nuestro Señor, also known as the Convento de Santa Clara.
See also
*
Spanish wine
Spanish wine ( or ) includes red wine, red, white wine, white, and sparkling wine, sparkling wines produced throughout the country. Located on the Iberian Peninsula, Spain has over planted in wine grapes, making it the most widely planted wine- ...
References
External links
Lerma munincipality official website
auto
Municipalities in the Province of Burgos
{{Burgos-geo-stub