Llerena

Llerena is a Spanish municipality in the autonomous community of Extremadura. It is part of the province of Badajoz and has a district four kilometers to the southwest, called Ribera de Los Molinos.

It is located in the Campiña Sur region and is the head of the homonymous judicial district. It has a population of 5743 inhabitants (INE 2020).

History

Middle Ages

In Arab times it was called Ellerina, a place of dispute between Arabs and Christians; It was definitively occupied by Pelay Pérez Correa in 1243, Master of the Order of Santiago to whom Fernando III of Castile had entrusted the reconquest of Sierra Morena.

Order of Santiago

It was the habitual residence of the Masters of the Order of Santiago and this fact favored the city that already in the XV century it became the seat of the Priory of San Marcos de León. For this reason it became the most important center of the territory, which until then had been Queen. So much was its increase in importance that it became the most important administrative center in the province of León of the Order of Santiago in Extremadura and acquired the headquarters of the Master Table of the Order and is the main population of more than 30 towns that They are governed from Llerena depending on the Prior of the Order of San Marcos de León.

Puerta de la muralla de Llerena.

In the year 1340, the Parliament was held in Llerena, presided over by King Alfonso XI of Castile. In 1383 the General Chapter of the Order of Santiago was celebrated by Pedro Fernández Cabeza de Vaca with the assistance of all the Commanders of the same. The Master of the Order Lorenzo Suárez de Figueroa received the license to celebrate the fairs of San Mateo on September 21, built the chapel of the Trinity in the church of Granada, the bastimentos, and finished the building for the Casa Maestral or the Santa Elena convent.

Enrique García Fernández de Villagarcía built the castle in the neighboring town of Villagarcía de la Torre and became the patron of the main chapel of the church of Santa María and decided to be buried there. Alonso de Cárdenas built the church of Santiago on the site occupied by the hermitage of San Pedro, and endowed the walled enclosure with some of the most important gates of the city.

Having been a Muslim territory, once the territory was reconquered, it was repopulated by families from Leon, Cantabria and the Basque Country. In addition, an important Jewish nucleus was created within the city, which made it a prosperous population with high economic and cultural levels. There was a peaceful coexistence between the three cultures: Christians, Jews and Muslims. In the year 1479, the Jew Rabbi Mayr managed to get the Catholic Monarchs to eliminate the ban on Jews celebrating fairs and markets, existing in the kingdom of Castile. This made it possible to improve the economic levels of the city and allowed the creation of the school of translators. At this time there were 600 Jewish families in Llerena who lived in the surroundings of the synagogue (hermitage of Santa Catalina) and the Fuente Pellejera.

In 1490 the final phase of the General Chapter of the Santiago Order took place, which began in Uclés, at the call of the last Master of the institution before the incorporation of this figure into royal power. When the Catholic Monarchs signed the decree of expulsion of the Jews in 1492, 125 Jewish families would remain, becoming Jewish converts.

Panoramics of Llerena

Modern Age

Court of the Inquisition

Llerena Inquisition Court

In 1508, the Court of the Holy Office of the Inquisition was established, achieved through the influence of Luis Zapata de Chaves, counselor and adviser to the Catholic Monarchs, and aided by the existence of a Jewish population in Baja Extremadura. It was the third court in Spain, in terms of the extension of its jurisdiction, it occupied 42,260 square kilometers, and included the bishoprics of Ciudad Rodrigo, Plasencia, Coria and Badajoz. Occupying three permanent headquarters in Llerena, the priory palace on Zapatería street, the master house on La Cárcel street and, finally, until its abolition in 1834, the Zapata Palace, today of Justice on Corredera street.

Splendor and decadence

Its period of greatest splendor was in the XVI century, when it had seven convents, as well as a large cultural activity. Throughout this century there was a large demographic increase only diminished by some emigration to the New World, becoming the second largest population center in Extremadura in 1591, behind the capital Badajoz. At the end of the century it had 8,300 inhabitants. In 1594 it was part of the León province of the Order of Santiago and had 2,066 pecheros neighbors, including its suburbs of La Higuera, Maguilla and Cantalgayo.

In the year 1640, due to the growth achieved, Felipe IV granted it the title of City. But at the end of the XVII century, its decline began, influenced by several factors: the political crisis of the empire, the war with Portugal, rulers unsuitable premises, the Moorish expulsion and successive plagues that kept it isolated from the outside during quarantines.

During the XVIII century, the towns of Higuera de Llerena achieved municipal independence in 1786 and Maguilla in 1749, which previously they had belonged to their Town Hall.

Contemporary Ages

Plaza de España.

During the War of Independence (1808-1814) and on the occasion of the Battle of Cantalgallo in 1810, there was great destruction of the city. There was much damage to buildings and part of the historical archive was destroyed and served as a seat for the cavalry, a large number of works of art were looted, such as part of the altarpiece of the church of Nuestra Señora de la Granada, the work of Zurbarán.

When the Old Regime fell, the Order of San Marcos de León disappeared, the Governor of the Province and the Party ceased to hold office in Llerena, and in 1834 the abolition of the Holy Office of the Inquisition was decreed. Then this city became a constitutional municipality in the region of Extremadura and, since 1834, it has been the head and headquarters of the Llerena judicial district. In the 1842 census it had 1,284 households and 4,990 residents.

After the decree of suspension of the religious jurisdiction that the Military Orders had maintained for centuries, in Llerena the so-called "Schisma of Llerena” took place, provoked by the clergyman Francisco Maeso de la Fuente when he refused to accept the the jurisdiction of the Bishopric of Badajoz. In just over a year there were various disputes that subsided when Alfonso XII came to the throne, causing with that decree the disappearance of the diocese of the Priory of San Marcos de León based in Llerena.

The successive confiscations also produced a major disaster for the municipal economy of Llerena and ultimately for the entire neighborhood. Those of Mendizábal in 1837 and Madoz in 1855 left the Llerena City Council almost without resources, which lost the pastures it owned and which it had maintained and exploited for centuries, providing important benefits for the municipal coffers. Some convents also disappeared, such as Santa Isabel, San Francisco, La Merced, San Sebastián and La Concepción, leaving only that of Santa Clara.

During this XIX century, some industries were maintained in the city which, together with the construction of the railway line Mérida-Sevilla in the second half of the century until the conclusion of the last section in 1885 between Llerena and El Pedroso, contributed to the economic progress of the entire region.

During the Civil War, after the takeover of Badajoz by the insurgents had been consummated, in September 1937 the Movimiento press reported the arrival of 2,200 republican prisoners in Llerena who would be placed in the bullring and in a place called The Malting. The bullring, at least between September and October of that year, functioned as a detention center and firing squad.

Transportation

• Llerena Station

Heritage

Its historic center was declared a Historic-Artistic Site on December 29, 1966 and contains a significant artistic heritage, including, in the field of architecture, the Church of Nuestra Señora de la Granada and the Palacio de los Zapata, and, in the urban area, the Plaza de España.

• Urban wall of Llerena
• Plaza de España. It was coso taurino, market and host of celebrations. On the south side of the square is the church of Nuestra Señora de la Granada with a balcony with arches of 2 floors. On the North side (in front of the church) is the portal of the Casineta that has had the portal appeals of the Stores, of the, of the Pan or of the Prison. It is 12 arches of whitewashed brick, canyon columns and 2 floors with balconies and windows and corrido abalaustrado. On the East side you can see the Town Hall and the portal of Morales, with 9 arches. In one of the houses in this area lived the painter Francisco de Zurbarán and his wife. Nearby is the source that the painter designed in 1617.

Church of Our Lady of Granada

• Our Lady of Granada. This church is located in the Town Hall Square; it has a baroque facade with a balcony with arches of 2 floors. It was this added centuryXVIII, on the north facade of the church, with a view to being able to access the events that manifest themselves in the Plaza Mayor. The church has a magnificent brick tower, inside which the existence of a large number of human remains was confirmed in 1979.
• Convent of Santa Clara. Located on the street of the Corridor. He has a polygonal floor viewer with stone lattice. In his church there is a size of San Jerónimo of the sculptor Juan Martínez Montañés. You can also admire the mural paintings and baroque altarpieces.
• Palacio de los Zapata. At the Plaza de la Inquisición. Good example of nobiliary architecture. It was the headquarters of the Inquisition. It has a Mudejar courtyard.
• Church of Santiago.
• Episcopal Palace. Residence of the Priores of the Order of Santiago. Its cover is framed with alfiz and the Order's blasons.
• Experimenta-CIC. Interactive science centre. Space dedicated to the dissemination and teaching of science, in which visitors, in a guided tour by specialized staff, participate in scientific experiments actively.

Festivities

• San Antón (17 January)
• Carnivals (February)
• Didactic Matanza and Embutido Fair declared regional tourist interest party(is held in March)
• Holy Week
• The Tour in "La Morolla" (It's not a local party, but every year it has more public, Easter Weekend) King Jayon's Rite is held last Sunday of April
• San Isidro Labrador Farmer Pattern is held on May 15
• "Diversur Feria Infantil de la Campiña Sur (last weekend of May or first of June). It starts on Friday and extends to the next Sunday with cultural, educational, sports and free play activities programmed for the enjoyment of the whole family.
• Llerena Gastronomic Monument" and Medieval Market last weekend of June. It is an event that combines gastronomy and heritage and that takes place in Llerena since 2007.
• International Short Film Contest "The Sin" late July early August.
• Virgin of the Granada (15 August) Patronal Major Festivals in honor of the Virgin of Granada, excelsa patrona of our city, take place the first fortnight of the month of August, inaugurating with the traditional Pregón and acknowledging the best educational records of schoolchildren in the different educational centers of the town.
• Extremadura Day (8 September)
• Tapas Route (September)
• San Miguel (Feria de septiembre)
• Luce Llerena Otoño Illuminado, is a cultural product that encompasses the programming of activities elaborated by the City Council for the autumn season.
• Days of History

Illustrious citizens

Sports

Sports facilities

Currently, Llerena has the following facilities:

• Municipal Track of Athletics "Álvaro Martín Uriol".
• Football Field (Natural Lawn) Football Stadium "Fernando Robina"
• Municipal pool, which has an Olympic swimming pool, a medium and a small one, a tennis court, two paddle tennis courts, a volley-playa track, one of mini-golf, one of basketball and one of football.
• Pavilion "Alberto Pérez Escobar"
• Municipal Pist "La Jaula"
• Basketball Pist and Cheap Stones Football.
• Speed.
• Beach Vóley Tracks (2 tracks) next to the Municipal Pool

Sports entities

Llerenense Sports Group

The Llerena Sports Group was founded on August 10, 1966 (although Llerena previously had another team). A total of eleven presidents have governed the destinies of this Association that fights every day to train soccer players. It is an Association dedicated to Football in all its categories. It currently has a School with more than 300 students. It has a preferential regional amateur team and a youth academy with the following teams:

• Prebenjamines
• Alevín A
• Alevín B
• Children (2nd autonomous JUDEX)
• Cadets (2nd autonomous JUDEX)
• Youth (Spanish National League)
• Females

Other

• Club de Baloncesto Campiña Sur
• Cycloturist Group of Llerena
• Ntra College Youth Association. Sra. de la Granada
• Asociación Juvenil y Cultural O.G.E.T.E. (Organis de Grandes Eventos Territoriales Extremeños) www.ogete.galeon.com
• Asociación Deportiva La Cigüeña de Gimnasia Ritmica
• Asociación de Senderismo "Tomillo y Orégano" (ASTOLL)
• Caza Sports Association "Our Lady of Granada"
• Association for Technological Development in Rural Environments ADETER
• Peña Amigos del Caballo de Llerena.
• Scout Group 402 Granada GS402LAGRANADA
• Club Volleyball Llerena: sporting entity dedicated to volleyball and beach volleyball, sports in which it has harvested certain successes, especially in beach volleyball, in which it has 5 Championships of Extremadura in cadete category and sub-19 female.
• Asociación de Atletismo Campiña Sur A.A.C.S.

Media

Press written

The municipality has its own local newspaper, Hoy Llerena, formed from a correspondent of the regional newspaper Hoy Diario de Extremadura.