Benavente is a town and

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

in the north of the

province of Zamora Zamora () is a Provinces of Spain, province of western Spain, in the western part of the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Castile and León. It is bordered by the provinces of Province of Ourense, Ourense, Province of Le� ...

, in 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 ...

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 ...

of Spain. It has about 20,000 inhabitants. Located north of the capital on an important communications hub, it was repopulated by King

Ferdinand II of León Ferdinand II ( 1137 – 22 January 1188), was a member of the Castilian House of Burgundy, Castilian cadet branch of the House of Ivrea and List of Leonese monarchs, King of León and kingdom of Galicia, Galicia from 1157 until his death. Life ...

, who also awarded it law-codes (a ''fuero'') in 1167. It was originally known as ''Malgrat'' or ''Malgrado''.

History

12th century - Catholic Monarchs

After the death of Fernando II of León who renamed the town from Malgrat to Benavente and led a campaign in 1164 to repopulate the city, as part of a long process of reconquest from the Moors. Alfonso IX and

Alfonso X Alfonso X (also known as the Wise, ; 23 November 1221 – 4 April 1284) was King of Castile, León and Galicia from 1 June 1252 until his death in 1284. During the election of 1257, a dissident faction chose him to be king of Germany on 1 Ap ...

continued to help the growth of Benavente through privileges and grants. When Alfonso IX of León died, the town was the scene of the definitive union of the Crowns of León and Castile in the Concordia of Benavente, later falling into decline until Sancho IV promoted its aggrandizement in 1285, attracting new settlers with franchises. In 1352 Fadrique Alfonso, brother of King Pedro I, received the town in exchange for not attacking Pedro. In 1387 Benavente was surrounded by the English and Portuguese troops of the

Duchy of Lancaster The Duchy of Lancaster is an estate of the British sovereign. The estate has its origins in the lands held by the medieval Dukes of Lancaster, which came under the direct control of the monarch when Henry Bolingbroke, the then duke of Lancast ...

who tried to besiege it, and the besiegers were defeated in this attempt.

Location

Benavente is located in the North of

Province of Zamora Zamora () is a Provinces of Spain, province of western Spain, in the western part of the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Castile and León. It is bordered by the provinces of Province of Ourense, Ourense, Province of Le� ...

, in the North-West of Spain. It is 65 km away from Zamora City and 260 km from

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

and its coordinates are 42° 0' N 5° 41' W. The adjacent municipalities of Benavente are

Villanueva de Azoague Villanueva de Azoague ) is a municipality located in the province of Zamora, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calc ...

Manganeses de la Polvorosa Manganeses de la Polvorosa () is a municipality located in the province of Zamora, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2022 census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, ...

Santa Cristina de la Polvorosa Santa Cristina de la Polvorosa is a municipality located in the province of Zamora, Castile and León Castile and León is an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in northwestern Spain. Castile and León is the largest autono ...

Villabrázaro Villabrázaro is a municipality located in the province of Zamora, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating po ...

San Cristóbal de Entreviñas San Cristóbal de Entreviñas is a municipality located in the province of Zamora, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, ...

Castrogonzalo Castrogonzalo is a municipality located in the province of Zamora, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2009 census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating ...

Santa Colomba de las Monjas Santa Colomba de las Monjas is a municipality located in the province of Zamora, Castile and León Castile and León is an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in northwestern Spain. Castile and León is the largest autonomou ...

and

Arcos de la Polvorosa Arcos de la Polvorosa is a municipality located in the province of Zamora, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calc ...

, all of them belonging to

Transport

Roads and Highways

Benavente is connected to the national road network through different roads and highways: * · Autovía Ruta de la Plata:

Gijón Gijón () or () is a city and municipality in north-western Spain. It is the largest city and Municipalities of Spain, municipality by population in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Asturias. It is located on the coa ...

Oviedo Oviedo () or Uviéu (Asturian language, Asturian: ) is the capital city of the Principality of Asturias in northern Spain and the administrative and commercial centre of the region. It is also the name of the municipality that contains th ...

Mieres Mieres is a municipality of Asturias, northern Spain, with approximately 38,000 inhabitants. The municipality of Mieres is made up of the capital, Mieres del Camino and the villages of Baíña, Figaredo, Cenera, Loredo, La Peña, La Rebollada, ...

- Puerto Pajares - León - Benavente - Zamora -

Salamanca Salamanca () is a Municipality of Spain, municipality and city in Spain, capital of the Province of Salamanca, province of the same name, located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is located in the Campo Charro comarca, in the ...

Béjar Béjar () is a town and municipality of Spain located in the province of Salamanca, autonomous community of Castile and León. As of 2018, it had a population of 12,961. The historical development of the town has been linked to its once thriving ...

Plasencia Plasencia () is a municipality of Spain belonging to the province of Cáceres, Extremadura. , it has a population of 41,047. Plasencia is located in the Western-Central Iberian Peninsula, to the south of the Sistema Central. Housing primarily ...

- Cáceres - Mérida -

Sevilla Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula. Seville ...

. * · Autovía del Noroeste.

- Benavente -

Lugo Lugo (, ) is a city in northwestern Spain in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia. It is the capital of the Lugo (province), province of Lugo. The municipality had a population of 100,060 in 2024, ...

A Coruña A Coruña (; ; also informally called just Coruña; historical English: Corunna or The Groyne) is a city and municipality in Galicia, Spain. It is Galicia's second largest city, behind Vigo. The city is the provincial capital of the province ...

Arteixo Arteixo (; ()) is a municipality in the province of A Coruña, part of the autonomous community of Galicia in northwestern Spain. Its area is 93.76 km2 and its population is 31,005 (2013). Its population density is 317.43 people/km2. It is ...

* · Autovía de las Rías Bajas. Benavente - Sanabria - Verín -

Ourense Ourense (; ) is a city and the capital of the province of province of Ourense, Ourense, located in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia, northwestern Spain. It is on the Camino Sanabrés path o ...

Vigo Vigo (, ; ) is a city and Municipalities in Spain, municipality in the province of province of Pontevedra, Pontevedra, within the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia, Spain. Located in the northwest ...

. * ·

Palencia Palencia () is a city of Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the province of Palencia. Located in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula, in the northern half of ...

-Benavente.

Bus Services

Bus services are provided in the Bus Station by different companies like Alsa, Auto-Res, Empresa Vivas, Linecar or Autocares Julio Fernández. There is a taxi stand in the Bus Station.

National lines

Daily services to: A Coruña, Astorga, Algeciras, Asturias (Oviedo-Gijón), Ávila, Badajoz, Barcelona, Bilbao, Cáceres, Cádiz, Cangas de Narcea, Irún, La Bañeza, León, Lugo, Logroño, Málaga, Madrid, Mérida, Ourense, Monforte, Palencia, Plasencia, Ponferrada, Pontevedra, Salamanca, San Fernando, San Sebastián, Santiago de Compostela, Sevilla, Valladolid, Verín, Vigo, Villablino, Zafra, Zamora and Zaragoza.

International lines

* Switzerland * Germany * Belgium * Holland * France - (París) * France (Lyon - Grenoble) * Andorra

Regional lines

* Alcubilla de Nogales * Alija del Infantado * Arcos de la Polvorosa * Ayoo de Vidriales * Camarzana de Tera * Carracedo - 13:00 * Cubo de Benavente * Ferreras de Abajo * Milles de la Polvorosa * Molezuelas * Mozar * Puebla de Sanabria * Pueblica de Valverde * Santa Colomba de las Monjas * Santibáñez de Vidriales * Tábara * Uña de Quintana * Valle del Tera * Valderas * Villafáfila * Villalpando * Villanueva de Azoague * Villarrín de Campos

Local Service

Senior citizens have a free urban bus service.

Taxi

The town has several taxi stands, one of them in the Bus Station.

Demographics

The total population of Benavente in 2025 are 17,468, up from 17,246 in 2024 and 17,261 in 2023. The sexes were 52% women and 48% men.

Nationality

Over 90.5% (15,803) of the population were

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

nationals, with 9.5% (1,665) born outside Spain with

Moroccans Moroccans () are the Moroccan nationality law, citizens and nationals of the Morocco, Kingdom of Morocco. The country's population is predominantly composed of Arabs and Berbers (Amazigh). The term also applies more broadly to any people who ...

the most numerous at 363 (21.8% of all foreign nationals),

Colombians Colombians () are people identified with the country of Colombia. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Colombians, several (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their bein ...

were 264,

Bulgarians Bulgarians (, ) are a nation and South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Bulgaria and its neighbouring region, who share a common Bulgarian ancestry, culture, history and language. They form the majority of the population in Bulgaria, ...

219 and 175

Romanians Romanians (, ; dated Endonym and exonym, exonym ''Vlachs'') are a Romance languages, Romance-speaking ethnic group and nation native to Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. Sharing a Culture of Romania, ...

Plaza mayor

The main square is plaza mayor where the

Town hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...

building is located. File:Fundación Joaquín Díaz - Plaza Mayor. Ayuntamiento - Benavente (Zamora).jpg File:Benavente - Plaza Mayor, Casa de las Pescaderías 4.jpg File:Benavente - Plaza Mayor, Casa Allén y Casa de las Pescaderías.jpg File:Benavente - Plaza Mayor, Casa de las Pescaderías 3.jpg File:Benavente - Plaza Mayor, Ayuntamiento 1.jpg

Tourism

Parador

*Parador de Turismo Fernando II, which occupies the Caracol Tower, a 16th-century castle with wide segmental miradors and a

Mudéjar Mudéjar were Muslims who remained in Iberia in the late medieval period following the Christian reconquest. It is also a term for Mudéjar art, which was greatly influenced by Islamic art, but produced typically by Christian craftsmen for C ...

coffered ceiling in the main section

Churches

*Church of Santa María de Azogue, in

Romanesque style Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of medieval Europe that was predominant in the 11th and 12th centuries. The style eventually developed into the Gothic style with the shape of the arches providing a simple distinction: the Ro ...

, begun in 1180. It has a Latin cross plan, with a nave and two aisles, separated by cruciform pilasters, with five apses. The nave has Gothic cross vaults added in the 16th century. The interior is home of several Gothic sculptures, such as that of the "Annunciation" (13th century) * San Juan del Mercado Church, in Romanesque style (12th-13th centuries). It has three decorated portals with the Adoration of the Magi, the Virgin and Child and scenes of the birth of Jesus.

Hostel

*Hospital of La Piedad, an old pilgrim hostel.

Other

*Hermitage of Soledad (early 16th century) *Caracol Tower

Events

* Fiestas de la Veguilla. The local celebration in honor of the ''Virgen de la Vega'' to celebrate the ''torno al llamado'' (Monday of Pascuilla). * Fiestas del toro enmaromado. Celebrated the day before the corpus, where the young men run (

Running of the Bulls A running of the bulls (, from the verb ''encerrar'', 'to corral, to enclose'; , literally 'haste, momentum'; 'bulls in the street', or 'bull-runner') is an event that involves running in front of a small group of bulls, typically six Fiske ...

) in front of a long rope held on the horns of a bull.

Accommodation

Hotels

*"Parador de Turismo Rey Fernando II de León" (H****) Paseos de la Mota, s/n *"Villa de Benavente" (H ****) Avda. de las Américas, s/n *"Santiago" (H ***) Avda. Maragatos, 34 *"Orense" (H **) C/ San Antón Viejo, 4 *"Arenas" (H *) Ctra. de Madrid, Km 261

Hostels

*"Hostal Avenida" (HS**) Avda. El Ferial, 17 *"Bristol" (HS**) C/ Santa Cruz, 44. *"Universal" (HS**) C/ Sancti Spíritus, 17 *"Alameda" (HS**) Autovía Madrid - Coruña km. 262 *"Covadonga" (HS**) Avenida Federico Silva, 16 *"Paradero 3" (HS*) Autovía Madrid – Coruña Km 261 *"Paraíso" (HS *) C/ los Herreros, 64 *"La Trucha" (HS) C/ la Viña, 5 *"Jara" (HS) Autovía Madrid-Coruña km. 261 *"Pensión La Trapería" (P) C/Agujero de San Andrés, 10

Climate

Benavente is characterized by a

cold semi-arid climate Cold is the presence of low temperature, especially in the atmosphere. In common usage, cold is often a subjective perception. A lower bound to temperature is absolute zero, defined as 0.00K on the Kelvin scale, an absolute thermodynamic ...

in the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

(''BSk'') with continental influences due to the altitude of the municipality and its distance to the sea. The amount of winter frosts is increased, taking place even in spring, with consequential damage to some of the local agriculture.

Twin towns – sister cities

Puebla Puebla, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Puebla, is one of the 31 states that, along with Mexico City, comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 217 municipalities and its capital is Puebla City. Part of east-centr ...

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

. *

Vila Real Vila Real () is the capital and largest city of the Vila Real District, in the Norte, Portugal, North region, Portugal. It is also the seat of the Douro (intermunicipal community), Douro Intermunicipal communities of Portugal, intermunicipal comm ...

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

Dukes of Benavente

Notable people

* José Carlos Guerra, painter. * Maria Josefa Alfonso Pîmentel Tellez Girón Borja y Centelles, fourteenth Countess and twelfth Duchess of Benavente, a patron of

Goya Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (; ; 30 March 1746 – 16 April 1828) was a Spanish romantic painter and printmaker. He is considered the most important Spanish artist of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. His paintings, drawings, an ...

and Boccherini * Fray Toribio de Benavente o Motolinía (1477–1569), a missionary to Mexico * Alonso Briceño, one of the thirteen

conquistador Conquistadors (, ) or conquistadores (; ; ) were Spanish Empire, Spanish and Portuguese Empire, Portuguese colonizers who explored, traded with and colonized parts of the Americas, Africa, Oceania and Asia during the Age of Discovery. Sailing ...

s led by

Francisco Pizarro Francisco Pizarro, Marquess of the Atabillos (; ; – 26 June 1541) was a Spanish ''conquistador'', best known for his expeditions that led to the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire. Born in Trujillo, Cáceres, Trujillo, Spain, to a poor fam ...

* Luis de Carvajal the Younger, Crypto-Jewish writer and martyr * Pita Pizarro (1792–1845), a minister of

Isabella II of Spain Isabella II (, María Isabel Luisa de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias; 10 October 1830 – 9 April 1904) was Queen of Spain from 1833 until her deposition in 1868. She is the only queen regnant in the history of unified Spain. Isabella wa ...

* Francisco de Castro Pascual (1871–1949),

microbiologist A microbiologist (from Greek ) is a scientist who studies microscopic life forms and processes. This includes study of the growth, interactions and characteristics of microscopic organisms such as bacteria, algae, fungi, and some types of par ...

* José Nuñez Pernía (1805–1879), a Marquis of Nuñez and the first president of the Sociedad Hahnemanniana Matritense * Pedro Nuñez Granés (1869–1944), engineer * Celestino Alonso Rodríguez Valdespino (1828–1875), chess player * Federico Silva Muñoz (1923–1997), politician * Laura Iglesias Romero, a scientist who does research for the CSIC * Francisco José Ynduráin (1940–2008), scientist * Almudena Fernández (born 1977), model

Language

Regional speech is influenced by the

Leonese language Leonese (''llionés, ḷḷionés, lionés'') is a set of vernacular Romance languages, Romance language varieties spoken in northern and western portions of the historical region of León (historical region), León in Spain (the modern provi ...

Cinemas and theatres

* "Reina Sofía" Theatre. * "Multicines Benavente" Cinema.Multicines Benavente
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References

{{authority control Municipalities of the Province of Zamora Astures