Ribadavia is a town and municipality located in the southwest of the
province of Ourense
Ourense (in Spanish, ''Orense'') is a Spanish province, in the southeastern part of the autonomous community of Galicia. It is bordered by the provinces of Pontevedra to the west, Lugo to the north, León and Zamora, (which both belong to ...
, autonomous community of
Galicia, Spain. The urban area lies on the right bank of the
Miño river
The Minho ( , ) or Miño ( , , ; cel-x-proto, Miniu) is the longest river in Galicia, sharing the border with Portugal, with a length of . By discharge, it is the fourth river of the Iberian peninsula, after the Douro, Ebro, and Tagus.
The M ...
and the last course of the
Avia river. It is the capital of the comarca of the
Ribeiro. Near
N-120 road and
A-52 Rias Baixas highway, it is from the
provincial capital
A capital city or capital is the municipality holding primary status in a country, state, province, department, or other subnational entity, usually as its seat of the government. A capital is typically a city that physically encompasses the go ...
and from
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 ...
.
The town was declared a ''
Historic-Artistic ensemble'' in 1947. Near the Campo da Feira, one can find the ruins of the castle of the Sarmientos, the Counts of Ribadavia, dating from the fifteenth century. It still preserves the interior, towers and the walls. Parts of the walls that surrounded the town are also still standing. Inside the old quarter (casco vello/Barrio Xudeu), one can visit the main square (Praza Maior) with interesting buildings like the sixteenth-century town hall. There are also buildings remaining from what was once a large
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
quarter, including a
synagogue
A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of worsh ...
.
All the economic life of the comarca of the Ribeiro has centered on, since the twelfth century, the vines first brought by the monks of
Cluny
Cluny () is a commune in the eastern French department of Saône-et-Loire, in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. It is northwest of Mâcon.
The town grew up around the Benedictine Abbey of Cluny, founded by Duke William I of Aquitaine in 9 ...
who accompanied the first count of Galicia,
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. H ...
. Today, the
wine
Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are ...
is commercialised under the protected
designation of origin Ribeiro.
Bibliography
* Leopoldo Meruéndano Arias, ''Los Judíos de Ribadavia y orígen de las cuatro parroquias''.
* Samuel Eiján, ''Historia de Ribadavia y sus alrededores''.
References
External links
Ribadavia's City Hall Official Page
Municipalities in the Province of Ourense
Religion in Galicia (Spain)
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