Andorra it is a village Spanish located in the autonomous community of Aragon, Teruel province, Andorra-Sierra de Arcos region. A town essentially dedicated to coal mining during the 20th century, it has some places and dates of tourist interest.
History
Although there is evidence of various settlements Iberians In pre-Roman times, it seems that the current population nucleus was born in the 12th century as a mere pastoral neighborhood of the Muslim town of Albalate. When it was conquered in 1149 by Ramon Berenguer, Prince of Aragon, Andorra followed the same fate, being awarded to Bishopric of Zaragoza. In the 13th century, the king Jaime I He was awarded the title of "Very Noble" in recognition of the Andorran collaboration in the conquest of Valencia.
On March 20, 1613, the Archbishop of Zaragoza Pedro Manrique placeholder image accepted the autonomy of the town, which was confirmed by the king Philip III. The following year its Ordinances were approved, which remained in force until the beginning of the 20th century. The lordship of the archbishopric ended with the Mendizábal confiscation, in 1836.
At the beginning of the last civil war the town was located in a republican zone, and was the scene of one of the various collectivizing experiments carried out by anarchists and anti-Stalinist communists during the conflict. Agricultural products were accumulated in the parish church - converted into a warehouse - for later distribution in exchange for vouchers. Andorra was taken by the rebel side on March 13, 1938.
After the end of the war, the development of the population was promoted by the Calvo Sotelo National Company, dedicated to the exploitation of coal mining and later integrated into Endesa. It was the same company that built the station neighborhood in the mid-1940s. Later, it built two more neighborhoods, one of them known as “el poblado,” in a way that changed the appearance of the urban nucleus. In 1979 the Thermal power plant, which provided new jobs and made the town grow further. In this way, the town's population went from about three thousand inhabitants in 1940 to more than eight thousand at the end of the century.
However, the decline in mining has caused a clear demographic decline, with the population of 8,000 inhabitants already falling in the 21st century. The planned closure of the thermal power plant will accentuate this trend in the future.
Architecture
Hermitage of the Virgen del Pilar
The Hermitage of the Pilar it is perhaps the most interesting building from the historical-artistic point of view. It indicates the original nucleus of the town, since the first houses were built around it. It was the first parish church in the area until the construction of the Church of the Nativity of Our Lady in the 16th century. Its origin is in the twelfth century, in an old style temple Romanesque which is not preserved and its first invocation was to Saint mary magdalene. The current building is framed in the Levantine Gothic as a result of the reforms and extensions carried out between the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries. Sponsorship by the Virgin of the Pilar, already in force at the beginning of the seventeenth century, is explained by the town's belonging to the bishopric of Zaragoza for a long time.
It is a single building ship. Its exterior is extremely sober, counting as the only ornaments with a few blind arches on the archivolt from the entrance. The cornice has corbels without decoration. Inside, there are two chapels laterals on the side of the Epistle that are communicated with each other and act as if they were a small lateral nave. On the opposite side there is altars between the buttresses that are located on a bench. Above the entrance door there is a choir illuminated by an oculus. The decoration is sparse, and is made up of the corbels from which the ribs start, decorated with plant motifs, and the keys that show the shields of the different bishops who attended the different phases of the construction. The exception is the key to the third section, decorated by a geometric theme framed by undulations. At the foot there is another small chapel. The building is declared Asset of Cultural Interest since 2002 and was restored between 2005 and 2010.
Church of the Nativity of Our Lady
Also declared Asset of Cultural Interest in 1983 and subsequently restored, it is a temple of greater ambition than the preceding one. At the end of the 16th century, Pope Sixtus V granted a license for the transfer and construction of a new parish church that would replace the Iglesia del Pilar, now a hermitage. The construction work took place between 1597 and 1609. The first architect was Juan Rigor, who left the company due to disagreements with the council that led to a lawsuit. He was replaced by another architect whose name is unknown, but whose existence is inferred from the different types of construction that the building shows. The first phase is style Renaissance, while the second is more linked to the local tradition still inspired by the Mudejar.
It seems that Rigor used as a model the Church of the Immaculate Santa Eulalia del Campo, work of the French architect Pierre Vedel. Like her, that of the Nativity has a single nave with chapels between the buttresses, it has a polygonal apse that is flat on the outside thanks to the existence of two side rooms, and it has a choir at the foot. The interior is covered by a plaster molding as a entablature and that divides it into two levels, separating the wall from the vaults. The openings allow homogeneous lighting and, unlike other temples, it does not have alabaster sheets, but with stained glass windows in vivid colors. The nave and chapels are covered by half-barrel vaults reinforced with sash bows semicircular finished by half columns attached to the wall supported on stone projections.
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The tower shows the double authorship of the temple. A first body is built in ashlar stone, having a first section with a square plan and a second with an octagonal plan with turrets between pilasters at the corners. However, the second body, also octagonal, is built in brick, a typical Mudejar material. It is lighter in appearance than the lower body due to the presence of flared arches - some with open oculi - on each side. In this body is the clock and, under it, the shield of Andorra sculpted in stone. The tower is built later than the rest of the building, as it was completed around 1660 or 1661.
The cover page main is Renaissance, with flashes of Herrerian style. It is divided into three sections, although many of its sculptural elements have been lost. In the lower body - of doric order- there is the entrance door flanked by two ornaments today empty that must have housed images of Saint peter Y Saint Paul that were withdrawn due to deterioration. Over a architrave There are two pediments what they show high reliefs of Adam Y Eve also very eroded. The second body is ionic order and it has three pediments, and has empty ornaments that it is possible to house images of the Virgin and of San Juan. The third body uses the corinthian order and it is the best preserved. It shows a crucified Christ accompanied by two angels under a semicircular arch.
The ornamentation of the interior was marked by the second master who intervened in the construction of the church. This anonymous artist introduced the Mudejar style by decorating the vaults with polychrome geometric motifs in green, blue and ocher tones. The same type of decoration exists in the lunettes vault on which the chorus stands. This, for its part, has a railing with intertwined star shapes that are also typical of Mudejar. The image of the Mystical lamb —Symbol that dominates the coat of arms of Andorra — appears as an ornament throughout the choir area.
The interior decoration was almost completely lost due to desecration carried out during the Civil war 20th century. We know from the Municipal Archive that there was a altarpiece greater because the eighteenth century document that agrees its execution is preserved. We also know that one of the chapels in the nave of the Gospel had an altarpiece dedicated to Saint Anthony of padua. It is also documented that there was a cancel that separated the main altar from the rest of the interior of the temple. We know that its realization in pine wood was commissioned in 1780 to the master Leonardo Grangé, who accepted the work two years later. All these elements were destroyed in 1936. After the war, a new main altarpiece of neo-Renaissance style of little artistic value was built, which was removed during the restoration carried out in the 1970s. In this way, the interior walls look absolutely bare in the actuality.
The interlocking railing of the choir and the baptismal font are preserved. The decoration was completed in the 1970s, mainly with a series of newly created carvings from the Albareda Brothers workshop in Zaragoza. On the side of the epistle and starting from the wall of the feet, we find an image of Santiago Apostle, another of Virgin of the Pilar and another of Saint Macarius, patron of the village. On the side of the gospel we find the image of the crucified Christ of the drums, which is exhibited in procession during the Easter; other two of Saint Barbara Y San Isidro and one of Saint Joseph. In the last chapel a canvas of the Nativity of the Virgin dated in the 18th century and which is supposed to have been part of the original main altarpiece, probably being the center of it.
Although they are not exposed to the public, there are three pieces of goldsmiths remarkable for their quality and antiquity: one custody silver gilt mid-16th century made by Gerónimo de la Mata and donated to the temple by the Archbishop of ZaragozaHernando of Aragon, a processional cross also in gilded silver from the same period and author and a chalice of silver decorated with enamels from the 19th or early 20th century of great artistic quality.
Museums
Archaeological Park of «El Cabo»
On the mount of San Macario, which dominates the town, is located the Archaeological Park of «El Cabo». It is an informative installation resulting from the transfer of the archaeological remains of an old town Iberian found in another location located about two kilometers from the town of Andorra. The find was in an area that was to be transformed by open-pit mining. Before its destruction, the remains were studied, cataloged and transferred. The most important were taken to museums; the rest were used to carry out this life-size reconstruction of the town from the 5th century BC. thanks to the agreement reached between the Andorran City Council and the company Endesa with the authorization of the General Directorate of Patrimony of the Government of Aragon.
The archaeological park was built in 2000, and rebuilds as faithfully as possible a fortified town, with a single street and fifty small houses located on both sides of that road. The average surface of the houses barely exceeds 25 square meters. The original settlement was built in a sloping area, and has thus been installed in its current location. The existing wall in the southern area is complemented by two separate towers at the ends. The two largest buildings are located in the highest part; one that was probably the home of the main family and another that could be a warehouse or other type of public facility. The park is a unique reconstruction in Spain that allows us to contemplate on a real scale what an Iberian town was like at that time. An annexed interpretation center is pending construction that will allow more information to be offered to visitors.
Mining museum
The Mining Technological Museum or Park MWINAS offers an insight into the work of the coal mining, an activity that was basic in Andorra for a long time. In a space provided by the company ENDESA the visitor is offered a broad vision of the world of mining. A large 44-meter-high metal tower dominates the installation and invites the curious to climb up to contemplate an excellent view of the surroundings. Around it, there is an outdoor exhibition of heavy machinery related to the sector, of great interest especially for those interested in the matter. An old warehouse houses an exhibition of smaller machinery, tools and accessories. Spaces such as the infirmary or the commissary are reproduced, thus allowing an approach to the life of the miner. Photographs, models and plans complement the exhibition. Another room houses a simulator that was used in the Andorran thermal power plant.
To arrange a visit to the Museum, you must first call the regional tourist office.
Parties
Saint Macarius
The patron saint of Andorra is San Macario, who has dedicated a hermitage that dominates the town from the adjoining hillock. The festivities in his honor are held between September 7 and 11. Popular celebrations, as is customary in rural Spain, include religious ceremonies, gastronomic gatherings, bullfighting festivals, various competitions, street parties, children's shows, fireworks and other events that take place over five days.
Easter
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Despite the patron saint festivities, the main festival in Andorra is the Easter. The origins of the feast of Easter in Andorra sink into the Middle Ages. The first brotherhoods emerged in the middle of the seventeenth century and it is very possible that they already organized processions, although the first sources that mention these are from 1705. Around 1780 Holy Week began to adopt a format that was consolidated in the nineteenth century and survives until the outbreak of Civil war. The war conflict was a severe blow to the traditions, since most of the images were burned. After the introduction of the new Franco state, the festival was once again celebrated normally and a momentous change was introduced: the priest D. Vicente Aguilar introduced in the town the custom of playing the drum during the celebrations, a practice that has been spreading since then. Precisely because of this peculiarity of the Lower Aragon the Andorran celebration is part of the Drum and bass drum route along with eight other populations. A route that was declared a Festival of International Tourist Interest in 2014.
The acts extend from the Passion Saturday until Easter Sunday. The central moment is the Break of the hour, in the transit of Thursday to the Holy Friday. At that moment, the deafening sound of hundreds of drums and drums breaks the prevailing silence to commemorate the death of Jesus imitating the din that the gospels say broke out at his death. The break is preceded by the procession of Silence - with a circular route that begins and ends in the parish church- and followed by that of the Torches, which rises to the Hermitage of San Macario. Other relevant processions are that of the Burrica, the Palm Sunday; that of the Encounter, the Holy Tuesday; that of the Holy Burial, on Good Friday; the one of the Solitude, the Holy Saturday; and that of the Risen Jesus on Easter Sunday. In addition, throughout the week there are two events related to the typical percussion instruments of the festival: the local Exaltation of drums and bass drums and the Concentration of drums and bass drums.
Lakuerter
The traditional festivals were joined in 2009 by a new event: the Iberian Lakuerter. It is a party of historical reenactment which is celebrated in the month of November and which is based on the past Iberian of the area. Many inhabitants of the town dress in clothes that imitate the clothes of the ancient Iberians, dividing themselves into "clans" that act in the manner of rocks recreational. These groups hold their gastronomic and recreational events, sometimes reserved for members, other times open to everyone. In addition, parades, combat simulations and other joint activities are held that are very attractive for visitors. Naturally, a market is organized around the festival that favors artisans and agri-food companies in the area and the surroundings. The expression "Lakuerter" was taken from a piece of pottery found in the Iberian site of El Castelillo, in the municipality of the neighboring municipality of Alloza.
The original idea for the fair came from the businessmen of the town. Initially it was thought of organizing a medieval fair similar to others already existing in Aragon. However, it was thought that the Iberian environment could be more original. The issue was justified by the existence of Iberian deposits in the region. In the village of Andorra itself is the town of El Cabo, which was moved from its original location. In the first edition, few people disguised themselves, but in the second year there were already six clans. Despite the recent nature of the festival, the number of participating clans and activities of all kinds has permeated the population to the point of growing from year to year. In 2017 he joined the Spanish Association of Historical Festivities and Recreations along with fourteen other festivals of historical reenactment and in 2018 it was declared a Festival of Tourist Interest of Aragon by the regional government. It is a curious event, different from the medieval fairs and worth a visit.
Eat and sleep
Restaurants
There are several places where you can eat well in Andorra for a reasonable price. The restaurant The Amphora, in José Iranzo street, next to the bullring, it can be an excellent option. It offers a very reasonable and varied menu, the price of which is slightly increased on holidays and their eve. It includes an oven in which pizzas and other dishes are prepared in full view of the diners. Not far from it, on Calle de Belmonte and next to the Instituto de Enseñanza Secundaria, the restaurant Half Moon offers a somewhat cheaper service with an acceptable quality. Going down a bit next to the square, at the end of Avenida Deportiva, the restaurant The Stove it also offers excellent service.
Lodging
The best option may be the two-star Hotel Santa Bárbara. It is located in the building that housed a residence created by the Endesa company to house its engineers. It has fourteen rooms, a swimming pool and paddle tennis courts. There is also the Andorra Hotel, located on the road. A cheaper but worthy option is the Media Luna Pension.
external links
Wikipedia has an article on Andorra.w: Andorra (Teruel)
Wikimedia Commons houses multimedia content about AndorraCommons.- Andorra City Council
- Andorra in the Web of the Andorra-Sierra de Arcos Region
- Easter in Andorra
