Okina ( es, Oquina) is a village of the municipality of Bernedo, in the

province of Álava A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outsi ...

in the Basque Country of Spain, situated about 15 kilometres from

Vitoria-Gasteiz Vitoria-Gasteiz (; ), also alternatively spelled as Vittoria in old English-language sources, is the seat of government and the capital city of the Basque Country and of the province of Álava in northern Spain. It holds the autonomous community' ...

. Its population (2014) is 29. Okina 01

Location

Okina is situated at an altitude of 794 metres in the northwest of the municipality, in a valley in the southeastern foothills of the Vitoria Hills. The River Ayuda (a tributary of the

Zadorra The Zadorra is a river tributary of the Ebro in the Basque Country at the north of the Iberian Peninsula. The river flows across province Álava all along (with the exception of Burgos' exclave La Puebla de Arganzon) till it pours into the Ebro n ...

) passes through Okina and flows towards Sáseta through the scenic Okina gorge, on the GR-38

long-distance path A long-distance trail (or long-distance footpath, track, way, greenway) is a longer recreational trail mainly through rural areas used for hiking, backpacking, cycling, horse riding or cross-country skiing. They exist on all continents exc ...

and much visited by walkers from Vitoria. The village is a starting point for a walk up to the peak of Kapildui (1,177m), and keen local cyclists often ride over the

pass Pass, PASS, The Pass or Passed may refer to: Places * Pass, County Meath, a townland in Ireland * Pass, Poland, a village in Poland * Pass, an alternate term for a number of straits: see List of straits * Mountain pass, a lower place in a moun ...

of ''Puerto de Okina'', by which Okina is reached from Ullibarri de los Olleros.

Name

The name is shown as "Okina" in the

Cartulary A cartulary or chartulary (; Latin: ''cartularium'' or ''chartularium''), also called ''pancarta'' or ''codex diplomaticus'', is a medieval manuscript volume or roll (''rotulus'') containing transcriptions of original documents relating to the fo ...

of San Millán de la Cogolla of 1025. It is recorded as "Oquia" and "Oquina" in documentation of 1257 and 1258.

History

At the beginning of the 20th century Enrique de Eguren discovered in the outskirts of Oquina a dolmenic

tumulus A tumulus (plural tumuli) is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds or ''kurgans'', and may be found throughout much of the world. A cairn, which is a mound of stones bu ...

, after finding nearby the remains of human skeletons, pieces of ceramics and arrowtips. In the inventory made by the abbot Mirón of the property of the monastery of San Martín de Albelda in the late 11th century, it is explicitly stated that King Sancho IV of Pamplona granted the church of Santa María of Okina with all its belongings to this monastery in 1073. Later developing into a village, it constituted a royal fraternity of the "cuadrilla" of Vitoria. This Fraternity consisted only of Okina village, and was represented in the provincial assemblies by the procurator of Vitoria. It was governed by an ordinary mayor, his assistant and a councillor.

Monuments

Church of the Assumption of Our Lady

This church possesses an early Gothic portal from the 13th century, as well as a small altarpiece. It was rebuilt in the 18th century, although it retains elements of the original late-16th century structure. The tower, square in plan, consists of three tiers, the last of which dates to 1884. The interior is rectangular, and divided into three sections: the first of these opens on to small chapels on either side. The village contained hermitages, now vanished: San Cristóbal, San Cristóbal Zarra and San Sumate.

House of the Gaonas

This building is located beside the river, and houses a shield of the Gaona family.

Demography

In 2014 Okina had a population of 39, of which 18 were men and 11 women.Instituto Nacional de Estadística

Festivals

The village ''fiesta'' is celebrated on 10 July in honour of

St. Christopher Saint Christopher ( el, Ἅγιος Χριστόφορος, ''Ágios Christóphoros'') is venerated by several Christian denominations as a martyr killed in the reign of the 3rd-century Roman emperor Decius (reigned 249–251) or alternatively u ...

References

{{coord, 42.7625, N, 2.5872, W, source:wikidata, display=title Populated places in Álava