An ''hórreo'' is a typical

granary A granary, also known as a grain house and historically as a granarium in Latin, is a post-harvest storage building primarily for grains or seeds. Granaries are typically built above the ground to prevent spoilage and protect the stored grains o ...

from the northwest of the

Iberian Peninsula The Iberian Peninsula ( ), also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in south-western Europe. Mostly separated from the rest of the European landmass by the Pyrenees, it includes the territories of peninsular Spain and Continental Portugal, comprisin ...

(

Asturias Asturias (; ; ) officially the Principality of Asturias, is an autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in northwest Spain. It is coextensive with the provinces of Spain, province of Asturias and contains some of the territory t ...

, Galicia, where it might be called a Galician granary, and Northern Portugal), built in wood or stone, raised from the ground (to keep rodents and water out) by pillars ( in Asturian and Cantabrian, in Galician, in Portuguese, in

Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...

) ending in flat

staddle stones Staddle stones, or steddle stones, were originally used as supporting bases for granary, granaries. The staddle stones lifted the granaries above the ground, thereby protecting the stored grain from vermin and water seepage. They were also used o ...

(''vira-ratos'' in Galician, ''mueles'' or ''tornarratos'' in Asturian, or ''zubiluzea'' in Basque) to prevent access by

rodent Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the Order (biology), order Rodentia ( ), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and Mandible, lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal specie ...

s. Ventilation is allowed by the slits in its walls.

Names

In some areas, ''hórreos'' are known as ''horriu'', , ( Asturian), ( Leonese), ( Cantabrian), ''hórreo'', ''paneira'', ''canastro'', ''piorno'', ''cabazo'' ( Galician), , , , ( Portuguese), , , (

Distribution

Cantiga de Santa Maria CLXXXVI - Horreos

''Hórreos'' are mainly found in the Northwest of Spain (

and Galicia) and Northern Portugal. There are two main types of ''hórreo'',

rectangular In Euclidean plane geometry, a rectangle is a rectilinear convex polygon or a quadrilateral with four right angles. It can also be defined as: an equiangular quadrilateral, since equiangular means that all of its angles are equal (360°/4 = 90 ...

-shaped, the more extended, usually found in Galicia and coastal areas of Asturias; and

square In geometry, a square is a regular polygon, regular quadrilateral. It has four straight sides of equal length and four equal angles. Squares are special cases of rectangles, which have four equal angles, and of rhombuses, which have four equal si ...

-shaped ''hórreos'' from

, León, western

Cantabria Cantabria (, ; ) is an autonomous community and Provinces of Spain, province in northern Spain with Santander, Cantabria, Santander as its capital city. It is called a , a Nationalities and regions of Spain, historic community, in its current ...

, and eastern Galicia.

Origins

The oldest document containing an image of an ''hórreo'' is the ''

Cantigas de Santa Maria The ''Cantigas de Santa Maria'' (, ; "Canticles of Holy Mary") are 420 poems with musical notation, written in the medieval Galician-Portuguese language during the reign of Alfonso X of Castile, Alfonso X of Castile ''El Sabio'' (1221–1284). T ...

'' by Alfonso X "El Sabio" (song CLXXXVII) from the 13th century. In this depiction, three rectangular ''hórreos'' of gothic style are illustrated.Hórreo: granary (Spain), in ''Encyclopedia of Vernacular Architecture of the World'' (Paul Oliver ed.), Vol. 1, Theories and Principles, pp. 713-714: "Not until the 13th century, in the 'Cantigas' of Alfonso X, was there confirmation of buildings that were morphologically similar to the basic Galician hórreos."

Types

There are several types of Asturian ''hórreo'', according to the characteristics of the roof (

thatched Thatching is the craft of building a roof with dry vegetation such as straw, water reed, sedge ('' Cladium mariscus''), rushes, heather, or palm branches, layering the vegetation so as to shed water away from the inner roof. Since the bulk of ...

tile Tiles are usually thin, square or rectangular coverings manufactured from hard-wearing material such as ceramic, Rock (geology), stone, metal, baked clay, or even glass. They are generally fixed in place in an array to cover roofs, floors, wal ...

d, slate, pitched or double pitched), the materials used for the pillars or the decoration. The oldest still standing date from the 15th century, and even nowadays they are built ex novo. There are an estimated 18,000 ''hórreos'' and ''paneras'' in Asturias, some are poorly preserved but there is a growing awareness from owners and authorities to maintain them in good shape. The longest ''hórreo'' in Galicia is located in

Carnota Carnota is a municipality in the province of A Coruña, in the autonomous community of Galicia, northwestern Spain. It belongs to the comarca of Muros. It has an area of 66.4 km2, a population of 5,285 (2004 estimate) and a population dens ...

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 ...

, and is long. Other similar granary structures include Asturian ''paneras'' (basically, big ''hórreos'' with more than four pillars), ''cabaceiras'' (Galician round basketwork ''hórreo''), ''trojes'' or in Castile or silos. File:Horreo Lluanco.png, alt=Hórreo in Lluanco, Asturias, Spain, Panera in Luanco, Asturias File:Horrero.JPG, A Galician ''

hórreo An ''hórreo'' is a typical granary from the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula (Asturias, Galicia (Spain), Galicia, where it might be called a Galician granary, and Northern Portugal), built in wood or stone, raised from the ground (to keep ro ...

''. File:Carnota 084.JPG, ''Hórreo'' of

, Galicia. File:Horreo en Cosgaya, Cantabria.jpg, ''Hórreo'' from Cosgaya, Cantabria. File:Hórreo tipo asturiano, O Piornedo.jpg, ''Hórreo'' from Piornedo, Galicia. File:Hórreo da reitoral de Bealo, Boiro.jpg, Corn cobs inside an ''hórreo'', Boiro, Galicia. File:Horreodefonseca.jpg, ''Hórreo'' from Siero, Asturias. File:Pegollo horreo eiros.jpg, Stone pillar (''pegollu'') standing on a footing stone (''pilpayu'') and capped with a staddle stone (''muela''). Image:Staddle stones, Somerset Rural Life Museum.jpg, Building sitting on staddle stones, at the Somerset Rural Life Museum, similar to Iberian hórreos. File:Hórreo Ortoño.jpg, Decorated granary in Ames. File:Hórreo e prensa para facer sidra. Pazo da Hermida. Dodro.jpg, Brick granary in Dodro. File:Hórreos de Combarro.jpg, Granary set in . File:Soajo - Espigueiros.JPG, Stone granary in Portuguese . File:Hórreo de Carnota.jpg, Alvenary granary over pillars in . File:Horreo de Lira, Carnota.jpg, Alvenary granary over pillars and slab in . File:Hórreo do Araño.jpg, Alvenary granary over barn in Rianxo. File:Oroso hórreo.jpg, Mixed granary over masonry strains in Oroso. File:Ponteulla Vedra Galicia 12.jpg, Wooden granary over masonry strains in Vedra. File:Estayes l'horru.svg, Parts of the Asturian ''horru''

Hórreo-like granaries in Europe

Similar granaries were common throughout

Atlantic Europe Atlantic Europe encompasses the western portion of Europe which borders the Atlantic Ocean. The term may refer to the idea of Atlantic Europe as a cultural unit and/or as a biogeographical region. It comprises the British Isles (Great Britain an ...

: Northwest Iberian Peninsula,

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, the

British Isles The British Isles are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner Hebrides, Inner and Outer Hebr ...

Scandinavia Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...

. There are ''espigueiros'' or ''canastros'' in northern

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 ...

(the most famous concentration is located in Soajo). French

Savoy Savoy (; )  is a cultural-historical region in the Western Alps. Situated on the cultural boundary between Occitania and Piedmont, the area extends from Lake Geneva in the north to the Dauphiné in the south and west and to the Aosta Vall ...

has its ''regard'', also encountered in the Swiss

Valais Valais ( , ; ), more formally, the Canton of Valais or Wallis, is one of the cantons of Switzerland, 26 cantons forming the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation. It is composed of thirteen districts and its capital and largest city is Sion, Switzer ...

('' raccard'') and the Italian

Aosta Valley The Aosta Valley ( ; ; ; or ), officially the Autonomous Region of Aosta Valley, is a mountainous Regions of Italy#Autonomous regions with special statute, autonomous region in northwestern Italy. It is bordered by Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Fr ...

(''rascard'').

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

has its ''stabbur'',

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

its ''härbre'' or more precisely ''stolphärbre'' or . '' Hambars'' are found in the Balkans, and ''serender'' in northern

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

. Similar buildings (

barn A barn is an agricultural building usually on farms and used for various purposes. In North America, a barn refers to structures that house livestock, including cattle and horses, as well as equipment and fodder, and often grain.Allen G ...

s) on staddle stones are found in Southern England. File:Soajo - Espigueiros.JPG, ''Espigueiros'' from

Arcos de Valdevez Arcos de Valdevez () is a concelho, municipality along the northern frontier of Portugal and Galicia (Spain), Galicia (Spain). The population in 2011 was 22,847,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 ...

File:Raccard.JPG, '' Raccards'' in

, Switzerland File:Bautahaugen Samlinger, Bergsrud.jpg, ''Stabbur'' originally from Bergsrud in Sør-Aurdal,

later relocated to the Bautahaugen Samlinger Image:Ambar 1.jpg, Ambar from 1888 in Banovci,

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

during winter Image:Ambar 2.jpg, Ambar from 1888 in Banovci,

during summer

References

External links

Hórreo de CarnotaAsturian HórreoGalician hórreos
* :es:Archivo:Santa fe navarra horreo jpg
Nice collection of images of horreos.Large collection of images of staddle stones/pillars
{{DEFAULTSORT:Horreo Buildings and structures in Asturias Buildings and structures in Galicia (Spain) Buildings and structures in Cantabria Architecture in Spain Granaries Food storage