Ágreda

Ágreda, Spain

Coat of arms
Nickname(s): Ville of Agreda
Coordinates: ES 41°51′18.3″N 1°55′13.6″W / 41.855083°N 1.920444°W / 41.855083; -1.920444Coordinates: ES 41°51′18.3″N 1°55′13.6″W / 41.855083°N 1.920444°W / 41.855083; -1.920444
Country Spain
Autonomous community Castile and León
Province Soria
Municipality Ágreda
Area
  Total 165 km2 (64 sq mi)
Elevation 929 m (3,048 ft)
Population (2004)
  Total 3,215
  Density 19.5/km2 (51/sq mi)
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
  Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code 48100
Area code(s) 34 (Spain) + 976 (Agreda)
Ágreda is famous for its cardoons, here seen peeled and cut and ready for cooking

Ágreda is a municipality located in the province of Soria, in the autonomous community of Castile and León, Spain.

Ágreda is the regional services center in the Northeast of the province of Soria. Its abundant heritage as well as the local fiestas of the Virgin, and the Archangel Michael attract a large number of tourists.

History

Basilica of Nuestra Señora de los Milagros, in Ágreda

In the current location of the town there was an ancient Celtiberic settlement. During the Middle Ages Ágreda became more significant as a strategic border location between the kingdoms of Castile and Aragon, as well as an important center of the arts and handcrafts where Christians, Jews and Arab-descendants lived in peace. Ágreda is therefore known as the town of the three cultures.

The renowned abbess María de Jesús was born in Ágreda and resided there throughout her life. She was named a Venerable of the Roman Catholic Church shortly after her death in 1665, but has not yet been beatified or officially canonized as a saint. She was well known as a visionary of her times, and as a counselor to King Philip IV through a correspondence that lasted throughout each of their lifetimes and is documented in over six hundred letters between them. Over the years the king gave the abbess a few commemorative gifts [1] which are on display today in the convent, yet there seems to be no undue favoritism to the region because of their friendship.

Demography

Ágreda (Soria)
year 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000
Population 3,210 3,094 3,207 3,273 3,294 3,525 3,624 3,588 3,637 3,635 3,260

Sightseeing

Economy

Agriculture, stock farming, industry (automotive and engineering), tourism, commerce and services

Personalities

References

  1. Fedewa, Marilyn H. Maria of Agreda: Mystical Lady in Blue (University of New Mexico Press, 2009)

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Tuesday, March 29, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.