Campaspero
Encyclopedia
is a Spanish locality which is placed in the province of Valladolid
(Castile and León
), next to the borders with the province of Segovia
. It is the highest municipality of the province of Valladolid
, at more than 900 m over sea level
. It belongs to the historical region of Castile
, concretly to Old Castile
.
Many are the theories about the origin of Campaspero's name, though, maybe, the most accurate is the one that indicates the former name of " Rough Field ", which has been found in numerous documents, as root of Campaspero's current toponym. Undoubtedly, the stony of the area and the rigorous of the climate served to give to this field the epithet of roughly(harshly).
As the majority of the villages of the Communidad de Villa y Tierra (Community of Town and Land) de Cuéllar
, to which it belonged, Campaspero should have been founded at the beginning of the 11th century, in the frame of the repopulation of the Valley of the Douro
. This repopulation was entrusted to Don Pedro Ansúrez
, as Valladolid
's one.
Since then until 1833, the locality belonged to the province of Segovia
. Although, it was very linked to the province of Valladolid because of the proximity to the Comunidad de Villa y Tierra de Peñafiel (Valladolid). In 1833, Campaspero was included in Valladolid's province once and for all.
localities, with the sole exception of Campaspero.
The parochial church of Guzmán's Santo Domingo
is built on stone of its famous quarries
.
This building dates back to the 18th century, when it was decided to raise this temple due to the condition of ruin of the previous one, which is missing today. The church has a simple structure, and keeps within some carvings of notable interest, as that of the Ascension, made by Pedro Berrugete
, a sculptor from the neighbour town of Peñafiel, in the second half of the 18th century.
The images of Santo Domingo of Guzmán
(the church's patron saint) and San Buenaventura
were carved in the same century. They share the major altarpiece with that of the Ascension. They also share the Baroque
style, and were carved in wood for Pedro Ventosa, an artist from Sepúlveda
(Segovia
). On the left of the presbytery stands out a sculpture of Christ Crucificado, built in the endings of the 16th century. It was surely carved in Cuéllar
by Roque Muñoz. In the side of the Epistle
an altarpiece of dressing shows an image of the Virgin of the Rosario.
of its quarries
and its transformation has been one of the most important ways for the people of the town to earn their living.
Many buildings of the province have been built with Campaspero's stone, often worked at the same place. It has allowed the craftsmen of the town to gain experience. They still make fronts, shields, pantheons and chimneys.
As time goes by, the completely home-made work has given way to technology and industrial processes though, luckily, there still remain some craftsmen in the purest sense of the word. They work with their hands and simple tools that help them to made those pantheons, fronts and fountains, which are very tasteful and smart. The stone-cutters of Campaspero have not forgotten their old skills and they work very hard when they are entrusted any special order, as shields or restoration of ancient works of art.
In spite of the fact that the " Rough (Harsh) Field" has given very few opportunities to the farmers, especially for the water shortage of this high and stony land, the tenacity of its inhabitants has managed to extract the scanty wealth of the soil. It has been enough for the sustenance of a good number of neighbors.
The predominant animal husbandry
is the wool one, whose "lechazos" have determined to a great extent Campaspero's gastronomy
, where there can be tasted two of the tastiest specialities of lamb: the typical roast lechazo and the grill of chops.
Inside the gastronomic paragraph, we can highlight the confectionery, with the F. Soria factory of sweets and confectionery, where exquisite sweets (puff-pastries, tea pastries, "lenguas de gato") are elaborated. Their speciality are home-made Christmas sweets (marzipans, "amarguillos" ...)
, in which the "Quintos
" are the main characters.
While the "dulzaina
s" sound, the young lads ask for money in the village's streets.
The most important day is Tuesday. The "Quintos" have chosen this day to celebrate the traditional cock races. The next celebration to be held is "Pentecostés". It takes place a Sunday at the end of may, and the people of the village make a procession with the "Virgen del Amor Hermoso" which is the centre of the celebration. The children of the village take part in games and sports competitions. The Patron of Campaspero is Santo Domingo of Guzmán
, and the saint's day is August 8.
After an important mass and a dance's procession, a soft drink is served by the council in the Main Square. The program is completed with bullfighting and running of bulls
across the streets of Campaspero.
Valladolid (province)
Valladolid is a province of central/northwest Spain, in the central part of the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is bordered by the provinces of Zamora, León, Palencia, Burgos, Segovia, Ávila, and Salamanca....
(Castile and León
Castile and León
Castile and León is an autonomous community in north-western Spain. It was so constituted in 1983 and it comprises the historical regions of León and Old Castile...
), next to the borders with the province of Segovia
Segovia (province)
Segovia is a province of central/northern Spain, in the southern part of the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is bordered by the provinces of Burgos, Soria, Guadalajara, Madrid, Ávila, and Valladolid....
. It is the highest municipality of the province of Valladolid
Valladolid
Valladolid is a historic city and municipality in north-central Spain, situated at the confluence of the Pisuerga and Esgueva rivers, and located within three wine-making regions: Ribera del Duero, Rueda and Cigales...
, at more than 900 m over sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
. It belongs to the historical region of Castile
Castile (historical region)
A former kingdom, Castile gradually merged with its neighbours to become the Crown of Castile and later the Kingdom of Spain when united with the Crown of Aragon and the Kingdom of Navarre...
, concretly to Old Castile
Old Castile
Old Castile is a historic region of Spain, which included territory that later corresponded to the provinces of Santander , Burgos, Logroño , Soria, Segovia, Ávila, Valladolid, Palencia....
.
History
As the majority of the villages of the Communidad de Villa y Tierra (Community of Town and Land) de Cuéllar
Cuéllar
Cuéllar is a large town and local government district in the autonomous community of Castile and León, in Spain. It had a population of 9,841 in 2008....
, to which it belonged, Campaspero should have been founded at the beginning of the 11th century, in the frame of the repopulation of the Valley of the Douro
Douro
The Douro or Duero is one of the major rivers of the Iberian Peninsula, flowing from its source near Duruelo de la Sierra in Soria Province across northern-central Spain and Portugal to its outlet at Porto...
. This repopulation was entrusted to Don Pedro Ansúrez
Pedro Ansúrez
Pedro Ansúrez was a Castilian count of Liébana, Saldaña and Carrión in the closing decades of the eleventh century and the opening decades of the twelfth. He is considered the founder and first lord of Valladolid....
, as Valladolid
Valladolid
Valladolid is a historic city and municipality in north-central Spain, situated at the confluence of the Pisuerga and Esgueva rivers, and located within three wine-making regions: Ribera del Duero, Rueda and Cigales...
's one.
Since then until 1833, the locality belonged to the province of Segovia
Segovia (province)
Segovia is a province of central/northern Spain, in the southern part of the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is bordered by the provinces of Burgos, Soria, Guadalajara, Madrid, Ávila, and Valladolid....
. Although, it was very linked to the province of Valladolid because of the proximity to the Comunidad de Villa y Tierra de Peñafiel (Valladolid). In 1833, Campaspero was included in Valladolid's province once and for all.
Campaspero today
Nowadays, Campaspero is the only town in Valladolid's province belonging to the Churrería, a region integrated by SegovianSegovia (province)
Segovia is a province of central/northern Spain, in the southern part of the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is bordered by the provinces of Burgos, Soria, Guadalajara, Madrid, Ávila, and Valladolid....
localities, with the sole exception of Campaspero.
The parochial church of Guzmán's Santo Domingo
Saint Dominic
Saint Dominic , also known as Dominic of Osma, often called Dominic de Guzmán and Domingo Félix de Guzmán was the founder of the Friars Preachers, popularly called the Dominicans or Order of Preachers , a Catholic religious order...
is built on stone of its famous quarries
Quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
.
This building dates back to the 18th century, when it was decided to raise this temple due to the condition of ruin of the previous one, which is missing today. The church has a simple structure, and keeps within some carvings of notable interest, as that of the Ascension, made by Pedro Berrugete
Pedro Berruguete
Pedro Berruguete was a Spanish painter; his art is regarded as a transitional style between gothic and Renaissance. Born in Paredes de Nava, Spain, he went to Italy in 1480 and worked in Federico III da Montefeltro's court in Urbino, where he could see some works by Melozzo da Forlì...
, a sculptor from the neighbour town of Peñafiel, in the second half of the 18th century.
The images of Santo Domingo of Guzmán
Saint Dominic
Saint Dominic , also known as Dominic of Osma, often called Dominic de Guzmán and Domingo Félix de Guzmán was the founder of the Friars Preachers, popularly called the Dominicans or Order of Preachers , a Catholic religious order...
(the church's patron saint) and San Buenaventura
Bonaventure
Saint Bonaventure, O.F.M., , born John of Fidanza , was an Italian medieval scholastic theologian and philosopher. The seventh Minister General of the Order of Friars Minor, he was also a Cardinal Bishop of Albano. He was canonized on 14 April 1482 by Pope Sixtus IV and declared a Doctor of the...
were carved in the same century. They share the major altarpiece with that of the Ascension. They also share the Baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
style, and were carved in wood for Pedro Ventosa, an artist from Sepúlveda
Sepúlveda, Segovia
Sepúlveda is a municipality located in the province of Segovia, Castile and León, Spain. The town lies next to the Hoces del Rio Duratón National Park and also incorporates the district of Duratón....
(Segovia
Segovia (province)
Segovia is a province of central/northern Spain, in the southern part of the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is bordered by the provinces of Burgos, Soria, Guadalajara, Madrid, Ávila, and Valladolid....
). On the left of the presbytery stands out a sculpture of Christ Crucificado, built in the endings of the 16th century. It was surely carved in Cuéllar
Cuéllar
Cuéllar is a large town and local government district in the autonomous community of Castile and León, in Spain. It had a population of 9,841 in 2008....
by Roque Muñoz. In the side of the Epistle
Epistle
An epistle is a writing directed or sent to a person or group of people, usually an elegant and formal didactic letter. The epistle genre of letter-writing was common in ancient Egypt as part of the scribal-school writing curriculum. The letters in the New Testament from Apostles to Christians...
an altarpiece of dressing shows an image of the Virgin of the Rosario.
Quarries
Campaspero sits an a seam of stone 30 metres thick, which the townspeople have used since they settled there. The stoneRock (geology)
In geology, rock or stone is a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids.The Earth's outer solid layer, the lithosphere, is made of rock. In general rocks are of three types, namely, igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic...
of its quarries
Quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
and its transformation has been one of the most important ways for the people of the town to earn their living.
Many buildings of the province have been built with Campaspero's stone, often worked at the same place. It has allowed the craftsmen of the town to gain experience. They still make fronts, shields, pantheons and chimneys.
As time goes by, the completely home-made work has given way to technology and industrial processes though, luckily, there still remain some craftsmen in the purest sense of the word. They work with their hands and simple tools that help them to made those pantheons, fronts and fountains, which are very tasteful and smart. The stone-cutters of Campaspero have not forgotten their old skills and they work very hard when they are entrusted any special order, as shields or restoration of ancient works of art.
Gastronomy
The predominant animal husbandry
Animal husbandry
Animal husbandry is the agricultural practice of breeding and raising livestock.- History :Animal husbandry has been practiced for thousands of years, since the first domestication of animals....
is the wool one, whose "lechazos" have determined to a great extent Campaspero's gastronomy
Gastronomy
Gastronomy is the art or science of food eating. Also, it can be defined as the study of food and culture, with a particular focus on gourmet cuisine...
, where there can be tasted two of the tastiest specialities of lamb: the typical roast lechazo and the grill of chops.
Inside the gastronomic paragraph, we can highlight the confectionery, with the F. Soria factory of sweets and confectionery, where exquisite sweets (puff-pastries, tea pastries, "lenguas de gato") are elaborated. Their speciality are home-made Christmas sweets (marzipans, "amarguillos" ...)
Festivals
The first celebration of the year to be held in Campaspero is CarnivalCarnival
Carnaval is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February. Carnaval typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party...
, in which the "Quintos
Quintos
Quintos is a parish of the municipality of Beja, in southeast Portugal. It covers 139.7 km² in area, with 310 inhabitants as of 2001.-References:*...
" are the main characters.
While the "dulzaina
Dulzaina
The dulzaina or dolçaina is a Spanish double reed instrument in the oboe family. It has a conical shape and is the equivalent of the Breton bombarde....
s" sound, the young lads ask for money in the village's streets.
Saint Dominic
Saint Dominic , also known as Dominic of Osma, often called Dominic de Guzmán and Domingo Félix de Guzmán was the founder of the Friars Preachers, popularly called the Dominicans or Order of Preachers , a Catholic religious order...
, and the saint's day is August 8.
After an important mass and a dance's procession, a soft drink is served by the council in the Main Square. The program is completed with bullfighting and running of bulls
Encierro
The Running of the Bulls is a practice that involves running in front of a small group of bulls that have been let loose, on a course of a sectioned-off subset of a town's streets...
across the streets of Campaspero.