Bishop's Village

Aldea del Obispo is a Spanish municipality and town in the province of Salamanca, in the autonomous community of Castilla y León. It is part of the Ciudad Rodrigo region and the Campo de Argañán sub-region. It belongs to the judicial district of Ciudad Rodrigo.

Its municipal area is made up of the towns of Aldea del Obispo and Castillejo de Dos Casas, it occupies a total area of 41.92 km² and according to the demographic data collected in the municipal register prepared by the INE in 2017, it has with a population of 281 inhabitants.

In its vicinity is the Real Fuerte de la Concepción which, together with Ciudad Rodrigo, San Felices de los Gallegos and Almeida, formed part of a set of key military squares during the wars around the border between Spain and Portugal.

History

Detail of the Salmantine West on a map of the centuryXVIIIin which you can observe Aldea of the Bishop (written as Bishop).

The foundation of Aldea del Obispo dates back to the repopulation carried out by the kings of León in the Middle Ages, being integrated into the field of Argañán, within the jurisdiction of Ciudad Rodrigo and the Kingdom of León, being ceded as a manor particular to the bishop of Ciudad Rodrigo by King Ferdinand II of León in the XIIth century, from which would derive its name « del Obispo», lordship that lasted until the XIX century. A significant event for Aldea del Obispo was the loss of Riba-Coa by León in the Treaty of Alcañices (1297) that made the town a border since until then the Luso-Leonese border was located on the Coa river, erecting later the Real Fuerte de la Concepción to reinforce this point of the Leonese border. With the creation of the current provinces in 1833, Aldea del Obispo was integrated into the province of Salamanca, within the Leonese Region.

Demographics

Graphic of demographic evolution of Aldea del Obispo between 1900 and 2022

Source: Spanish National Statistical Institute - Graphical development by Wikipedia.

According to the National Institute of Statistics, Aldea del Obispo had, as of December 31, 2018, a total population of 266 inhabitants, of whom 141 were men and 125 women. Regarding the year 2000, the census reflects 396 inhabitants, of which 207 were men and 189 women. Therefore, the loss of population in the municipality for the period 2000-2018 has been 130 inhabitants, a 33% decrease.

The municipality is divided into two population centers. Of the 266 inhabitants that the municipality had in 2018, Aldea del Obispo had 208, of which 109 were men and 99 women, and Castillejo de Dos Casas with 58, of which 32 were men and 26 women.

Symbols

The heraldic shield that represents the municipality was approved with the following coat of arms:

«I hear a match. First, Azur with a mitre and a staff of gold. Second of silver with a castle of gules, cleared of saber. To the bell, royal crown»

Administration and politics

Municipal elections

Autonomous elections

Church of San Sebastian.

Royal Fort of the Conception, outside. In 2012 it was restored to make it a hotel.

Culture

Heritage

• Real Fuerte de la Concepción.
• 

  Crosses of the Calvary and Hermitage of Jesus Nazareth
  Church of San Sebastian, dependent on the obispado of Ciudad Rodrigo.
• Caser of the Bishop
• Hermitage of the Nazarene and Cruces.
• The Boliches.
• Source Herrada
• Source Mingacha
• Caño de Arriba
• Caño del Medio
• Alambique

Parties

• 20 January.
• May 15th.

Illustrious Villagers