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Priego de Córdoba 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' ...
of
Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
located in the autonomous community of
Andalusia Andalusia ( , ; , ) is the southernmost autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain, located in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, in southwestern Europe. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomou ...
. It lies on the southeasternmost end of the province of Córdoba, near the headwater of the Guadajoz, and on the northern slope of the Sierra de Priego. The population in 2015 was 22,936.


Geography

The view from the cliff, known as the "Adarve", is a favorite subject for paintings. From the "Adarve" one sees an over 180° degree expanse of valley and olive grove speckled mountains known as the "Subetica". The oldest section of Priego is its Barrio de la Villa. It is bordered on one side by the town's natural fortress, a high cliff. The alleys that wind through this part of the town are Moorish in style, decorated with flower pots and religious icons. Some homes still have the ancient tunnel system that went from their cellars (bodegas) to the castle.


History

Priego (''Bāguh'') may have been founded as a military campsite by Syrian troops of the jund of Damascus after 743. The earliest verified mention to the place dates to 863, in the context of an Islamic source reporting the contribution of 900 horsemen of ''Bāguh'' to a emiral campaign waged against the kingdom of Asturias-León. Rebel forces made incursions in the kūra of Priego in 866 during the Ibn-Hafsun revolt against Umayyad rule, reportedly causing the ruine of the madina. The place was pacified in 921, becoming again the head of a kūra, only to be integrated some years later to the kūra of Elvira. Priego was stormed by a Christian army under Ferdinand III in 1225. It is moot whether it was abandoned or lost, but it was re-acquired in a barter by Ferdinand III during the 1245–46 siege of Jaén, and it was ensuingly entrusted to the
Order of Calatrava The Order of Calatrava (, ) was one of the Spanish military orders, four Spanish military orders and the first Military order (society), military order founded in Kingdom of Castile, Castile, but the second to receive papal approval. The papal bu ...
. It was incorporated the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada either in 1327 or 1332, and was conquered by Castile in 1341.


Economy

Its economy is based on agricultural products, mainly
olive oil Olive oil is a vegetable oil obtained by pressing whole olives (the fruit of ''Olea europaea'', a traditional Tree fruit, tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin) and extracting the oil. It is commonly used in cooking for frying foods, as a cond ...
and cereals. The olive oil from Priego has been given its own denominational label. The olive oils have recently garnered many of the most prestigious prizes in international competitions."Venta del Barón" is the best olive oil in the world since 2014 2015 and 2016


Culture


Holy Week

The religious brotherhoods of Priego have a long history, some dating back to before the 16th century. The traditional displays of these brotherhoods in the religious processions of
Holy Week Holy Week () commemorates the seven days leading up to Easter. It begins with the commemoration of Triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, marks the betrayal of Jesus on Spy Wednesday (Holy Wednes ...
(Semana Santa) are renowned for their grandeur and beauty. The procession on
Holy Thursday Maundy Thursday, also referred to as Holy Thursday, or Thursday of the Lord's Supper, among other names,The day is also known as Great and Holy Thursday, Holy and Great Thursday, Covenant Thursday, Sheer Thursday, and Thursday of Mysteries. is ...
(Jueves Santo) of the Brotherhood of the Column (Jesus de la Columna), which is the oldest and most prestigious of the town's brotherhoods, and on Holy Friday (Viernes Santo) the Brotherhood of the Nazarenos, in which the procession is of a hand carried float with Christ carrying the cross. The Nazareno is carried from a church in the center of Priego to a mountain top that overlooks Priego known as the Calavario. Once there a priest comes out of the hermitage there and delivers a
benediction A benediction (, 'well' + , 'to speak') is a short invocation for divine help, blessing and guidance, usually at the end of worship service. It can also refer to a specific Christian religious service including the exposition of the eucharisti ...
.


Cuisine

The population holds up pastries in the form of roosters or pigs, with a hard boiled egg in the center, known as 'hornazos'. After the benediction it is considered good luck for the coming year to eat the pastry.


Housing

Priego is a village found on the ''Ruta del Califato'' (trade route of the Caliphate). It is called “City of the water” because of the many springs and "Jewel of the Baroque Native of Córdoba” for the multitude of its
Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...
-style constructions. It has been referred to as “the lock and key to the Kingdom of Granada”. The oldest section of Priego is its ''Barrio de la Villa''. It is bordered on one side by the town's natural fortress, a high cliff. The alleys that wind through this part of the town are Moorish in style, decorated proudly by the populace with flower pots and religious icons. Some homes retain the ancient tunnel system that went from their cellars (bodegas) to the castle. Some of the best examples of the Spanish Baroque are found in the numerous churches in Priego. The oldest church was built in the 13th century and subsequently restored; it has a fine chapel. There are ruins (under restoration as of 2006) of a castle having been a fortified city of the
Moors The term Moor is an Endonym and exonym, exonym used in European languages to designate the Muslims, Muslim populations of North Africa (the Maghreb) and the Iberian Peninsula (particularly al-Andalus) during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a s ...
(with the Hispano-Arabic name Baguh), eventually captured by the Christians under Ferdinand III in 1225, lost again in 1327, and finally retaken in 1340 by Alfonso XI. The Barrio de la Villa was given the official title of Historic Centre of Priego in 1972.


Notable people

* Niceto Alcalá-Zamora (1877–1949), Prime Minister and President of the
Second Spanish Republic The Spanish Republic (), commonly known as the Second Spanish Republic (), was the form of democratic government in Spain from 1931 to 1939. The Republic was proclaimed on 14 April 1931 after the deposition of Alfonso XIII, King Alfonso XIII. ...
, was from Priego. * Ibn al-Qatta' al-Yahsubi (10th Century - 1006), Vizier


See also

* List of municipalities in Córdoba


References

;Attribution *


External links


El legado andalusí
{{DEFAULTSORT:Priego De Cordoba Municipalities in the Province of Córdoba (Spain)