Lerma is a village in the

province of Burgos The Province of Burgos is a province of northern Spain, in the northeastern part of the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is bordered by the provinces of Palencia, Cantabria, Vizcaya, Álava, La Rioja, Soria, Segovia, and Valladoli ...

, part of 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 ...

of Castile and León, 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 Arlanza River rises in the Sierra de la Demanda, near Quintanar de la Sierra in an area known as Fuente Sanza. As it flows through the province of Burgos, Spain, it passes through the municipalities of Castrovido, Salas de los Infantes, C ...

. 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 ' (Spanish, Portuguese and Galician for "reconquest") is a historiographical construction describing the 781-year period in the history of the Iberian Peninsula between the Umayyad conquest of Hispania in 711 and the fall of the Nasrid ...

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 The Herrerian style ( es, estilo herreriano or ''arquitectura herreriana'') of architecture was developed in Spain during the last third of the 16th century under the reign of Philip II (1556–1598), and continued in force in the 17th centu ...

under the patronage of the

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 (1807–1814) was the military conflict fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. In Spain ...

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 The Lerma Ducal Palace is the palace of the dukes of Lerma in Lerma (Burgos) in Spain, occupying the whole of one side of the city's Plaza. Originally it had immense gardens below it, on the banks of the river, with fountains, stately homes and ...

. Image:Lermaclasisas lou16.JPG, Monastery of la Ascensión de Nuestro Señor, also known as the Convento de Santa Clara.

References

External links

Lerma munincipality official website
auto Municipalities in the Province of Burgos {{Burgos-geo-stub

History

Gallery

See also

References

External links