Calahorra
Encyclopedia
Calahorra, La Rioja, Spain
is a municipality in the comarca of Rioja Baja, near the border with Navarre
on the right bank of the Ebro
. During ancient Roman times, Calahorra was a municipium known as Calagurris.
. Its population is 21,060 people.
It is well connected to other cities, especially by highway. It is situated in the Ebro valley, 48 kilometres from Logroño, 120 km from Zaragoza
and 180 km from Bilbao
, and is connected to these cities by national highway 232
, the A-68 motorway (Vasco-Aragonesa
) and the Bilbao-Zaragoza rail line.
Its daily bus services link it to such cities as Pamplona
, Soria
, and San Sebastián
.
Its status as seat of a comarca and judicial district make it a service-industry city, in administrative, commercial, and leisure fields.
, and its stable population dates to the Iron Age
.
Rome
conquered the town in 187 BC
and brought it to its highest point of importance as an administrative centre for surrounding regions.
Calahorra supported Quintus Sertorius
in his war against Pompey
, whom the city resisted successfully since 76 BC. It was only taken four years later by Pompey's legate Lucius Afranius
, after a lot of inhabitants had died from starvation and there had occurred cannibalism.
Julius Caesar
and Augustus Caesar gave the city (then named Calagurris) numerous distinctions, converted it into a municipality, and developed its city planning, economy, and politics. Its archeological remains show that it had a circus, baths, an amphitheatre, and other services found in large cities. It minted money and served as a justice administration centre.
Quintilian
, well known for his descriptions of the culture of that time, was born in Calahorra, and the Parador
in the city is named after him. It has Roman ruins in the grounds.
Saints Emeterius and Celedonius, martyred in the city around 305 AD, are the patron saints of the city, and the city's coat-of-arms depict their names. The cathedral is dedicated to them.
After the rule of the Moors in the 9th and 10th centuries the Christian king García Sánchez III of Navarre captured the city in 1045.
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
is a municipality in the comarca of Rioja Baja, near the border with Navarre
Navarre
Navarre , officially the Chartered Community of Navarre is an autonomous community in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Country, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and Aquitaine in France...
on the right bank of the Ebro
Ebro
The Ebro or Ebre is one of the most important rivers in the Iberian Peninsula. It is the biggest river by discharge volume in Spain.The Ebro flows through the following cities:*Reinosa in Cantabria.*Miranda de Ebro in Castile and León....
. During ancient Roman times, Calahorra was a municipium known as Calagurris.
Location
The city is located on a hill at an altitude of 358 metres at the confluence of the Ebro and Cidacos rivers, and has an area of 91.41 km². Calahorra is the second-largest city in La Rioja in population and importance, after the capital, LogroñoLogroño
Logroño is a city in northern Spain, on the Ebro River. It is the capital of the autonomous community of La Rioja, formerly known as La Rioja Province.The population of Logroño in 2008 was 153,736 and a metropolitan population of nearly 197,000 inhabitants...
. Its population is 21,060 people.
It is well connected to other cities, especially by highway. It is situated in the Ebro valley, 48 kilometres from Logroño, 120 km from Zaragoza
Zaragoza
Zaragoza , also called Saragossa in English, is the capital city of the Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain...
and 180 km from Bilbao
Bilbao
Bilbao ) is a Spanish municipality, capital of the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country. With a population of 353,187 , it is the largest city of its autonomous community and the tenth largest in Spain...
, and is connected to these cities by national highway 232
N-232
The N-232 is a highway in Spain. It broadly follows the Rio Ebro from Logroño to the coast. It starts south east of Logroño at the Autovía LO-20 and runs parallel to the Autopista AP-68. The road passes Calahorra before it junctions with the N-113, N-121 and Autovía A-15.The road passes Tudela and...
, the A-68 motorway (Vasco-Aragonesa
Autopista AP-68
The Autopista AP-68 is a highway in Spain. It connects Zaragoza with Bilbao via Tudela, Calahorra and Logroño.It has junctions with Autovía A-2, Autovía A-15, Autovía A-1 and ending at the Autovía A-8....
) and the Bilbao-Zaragoza rail line.
Its daily bus services link it to such cities as Pamplona
Pamplona
Pamplona is the historial capital city of Navarre, in Spain, and of the former kingdom of Navarre.The city is famous worldwide for the San Fermín festival, from July 6 to 14, in which the running of the bulls is one of the main attractions...
, Soria
Soria
Soria is a city in north-central Spain, the capital of the province of Soria in the autonomous community of Castile and León. , the municipality has a population of c. 39,500 inhabitants, nearly 40% of the population of the province...
, and San Sebastián
San Sebastián
Donostia-San Sebastián is a city and municipality located in the north of Spain, in the coast of the Bay of Biscay and 20 km away from the French border. The city is the capital of Gipuzkoa, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country. The municipality’s population is 186,122 , and its...
.
Its status as seat of a comarca and judicial district make it a service-industry city, in administrative, commercial, and leisure fields.
History
Calahorra has been inhabited since the PaleolithicPaleolithic
The Paleolithic Age, Era or Period, is a prehistoric period of human history distinguished by the development of the most primitive stone tools discovered , and covers roughly 99% of human technological prehistory...
, and its stable population dates to the Iron Age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
.
Rome
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
conquered the town in 187 BC
187 BC
Year 187 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Lepidus and Flaminius...
and brought it to its highest point of importance as an administrative centre for surrounding regions.
Calahorra supported Quintus Sertorius
Quintus Sertorius
Quintus Sertorius was a Roman statesman and general, born in Nursia, in Sabine territory. His brilliance as a military commander was shown most clearly in his battles against Rome for control of Hispania...
in his war against Pompey
Pompey
Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, also known as Pompey or Pompey the Great , was a military and political leader of the late Roman Republic...
, whom the city resisted successfully since 76 BC. It was only taken four years later by Pompey's legate Lucius Afranius
Lucius Afranius (consul)
Lucius Afranius was an ancient Roman legatus and client of Pompey the Great. He served with Pompey during his Iberian campaigns against Sertorius in the late 70s BC, and remained in his service right through to the Civil War. He died after the Battle of Thapsus in 46 BC.-Early career:Lucius...
, after a lot of inhabitants had died from starvation and there had occurred cannibalism.
Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....
and Augustus Caesar gave the city (then named Calagurris) numerous distinctions, converted it into a municipality, and developed its city planning, economy, and politics. Its archeological remains show that it had a circus, baths, an amphitheatre, and other services found in large cities. It minted money and served as a justice administration centre.
Quintilian
Quintilian
Marcus Fabius Quintilianus was a Roman rhetorician from Hispania, widely referred to in medieval schools of rhetoric and in Renaissance writing...
, well known for his descriptions of the culture of that time, was born in Calahorra, and the Parador
Parador
A parador , in Spain and other Spanish-speaking countries, is a kind of luxury hotel, usually located in a historic building such as a monastery or castle. Parar means to stop, halt or stay.- Paradores de Turismo de España :...
in the city is named after him. It has Roman ruins in the grounds.
Saints Emeterius and Celedonius, martyred in the city around 305 AD, are the patron saints of the city, and the city's coat-of-arms depict their names. The cathedral is dedicated to them.
After the rule of the Moors in the 9th and 10th centuries the Christian king García Sánchez III of Navarre captured the city in 1045.