Albelda de Iregua is a village 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 province and

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 ...

La Rioja La Rioja () is an autonomous community and province in Spain, in the north of the Iberian Peninsula. Its capital is Logroño. Other cities and towns in the province include Calahorra, Arnedo, Alfaro, Haro, Santo Domingo de la Calzada, an ...

, Spain. The municipality covers an area of and as of 2011 had a population of 3339 people.

Geography

Albelda de Iregua - La Rioja - Mapa municipal

Albelda is located south of

Logroño Logroño () is the capital of the province of La Rioja, situated in northern Spain. Traversed in its northern part by the Ebro River, Logroño has historically been a place of passage, such as the Camino de Santiago. Its borders were disputed b ...

in the lower Iregua valley. This provides a fertile land for growing fruit. The village is bounded on the north by Lardero and Alberite, to the east by Clavijo, to the south by Nalda and to the west by Sorzano and Entrena. Within its terrains were the unpopulated communities of Longares, depopulated in the 12th century, Morcuera, deserted in the 14th century and Mucrones.

History

In 1063 the Bishop of Nájera approved a Town Charter for the population, under the name Longares. The town had a Jewish community since the 10th century till the Spanish

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 ...

Inquisition The Inquisition was a group of institutions within the Catholic Church whose aim was to combat heresy, conducting trials of suspected heretics. Studies of the records have found that the overwhelming majority of sentences consisted of penances, ...

in 1492. During that period of time, about 35 families lived in the town, paying taxes to the local bishop. Several

Jews 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 ...

acquired the surname of the town, such as Moses Albelda (died 1545), a bible commentator who lived in

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...

and assumed to have ancestors from the town, who escaped to Turkey during the Inquisition.

Toponym

Its name may come from the Arabic term with the article ''Bayda Al'', which means 'The White'. On the other hand, the etymology of the word "Albelda" proposed by the historian Urbano Espinosa points to the toponym Albalda/Albeilda (in Spanish), meaning "the village", as recorded in the Christian chronicles and consolidated during the Muslim rule (8th and 9th centuries). Its meaning has to do with the set of three monasteries located in the townships of Nalda and Albelda: San Pantaleon (in Nalda), and the monasteries of Albelda and Las Tapias, in Albelda itself.

Population

As at 1 January 2010 the population of Albelda de Iregua was 3,291 persons, 1727 men and 1564 women.

Places of interest

Buildings and monuments

* San Martín Church, constructed in 1970 * Santa Isabel Hermitage * Nuestra Señora de Bueyo Hermitage, Romanesque. It was declared

Bien de Interés Cultural A Bien de Interés Cultural is a category of the heritage register in Spain. The term is also used in Venezuela and other Spanish-speaking countries. The term literally means a "good of cultural interest" (" goods" in the economic sense) and incl ...

(property of Cultural Interest) in the category of monuments on 13 June 1983. *Santa Fe de Palazuelos Hermitage. It was declared

(property of Cultural Interest) in the category of monuments on 25 October 1984.

Photo gallery

File:ALBELDA DE IREGUA-Vista general.jpg, General view of the area File:ALBELDA DE IREGUA-Vista general (Iglesia parroquial).jpg, Parish church tower File:Ermita de Santa Isabel-Albelda-20070.jpg, Santa Isabel Hermitage File:Ermita de Nuestra Señora de Bueyo-Albelda de Iregua-18323.jpg, Nuestra Señora de Bueyo Hermitage File:Ermita de Santa Fe de Palazuelos-Albelda_19372.jpg, Santa Fe de Palazuelos Hermitage

Local celebrations

* Pilgrimage to

San Marcos San Marcos is the Spanish name of Saint Mark. It may also refer to: Towns and cities Argentina * San Marcos, Salta Colombia * San Marcos, Antioquia * San Marcos, Sucre Costa Rica * San Marcos, Costa Rica (aka San Marcos de Tarrazú) ...

: 25 April * Saint Prudencio Feast day: 28 April * Feasts of Triumph (or Summer): last Sunday in August *

Isidore the Laborer Isidore the Labourer, also known as Isidore the Farmer ( es, San Isidro Labrador) (c. 1070 – May 15, 1130), was a Spanish farmworker known for his piety toward the poor and animals. He is the Catholic patron saint of farmers and of Madrid, El ...

: 15 May * Saint James: 25 July * Virgen de Bueyo: 25 March

Notable people

Javier Cámara Javier Cámara Rodríguez (born 19 January 1967) is a Spanish actor. He became known for two television roles as a priest in '' ¡Ay, señor, señor!'' and ''Éste es mi barrio''. He has since featured in films such as '' Torrente, the Dumb Arm ...

, actor * Salva Díez, basketball player * Carlos Coloma Nicolás, cyclist

References

External links

Photos of Albelda
{{Authority control Populated places in La Rioja (Spain) Bien de Interés Cultural landmarks in La Rioja (Spain)