Lebrija
Encyclopedia
Lebrija is a city in the province of Seville
, Andalusia (Spain), near the left bank of the Guadalquivir
river, and on the eastern edge of the marshes known as Las Marismas
.
According to a 2008 population census, it has 26,046 inhabitants, and has an area surface of 372 km², making it one of the biggest municipalities in the province. The nearest municipalities are El Cuervo
and Las Cabezas de San Juan
, in Seville and Trebujena
and the city of Jerez de la Frontera
in the province of Cadiz
.
The main productive activity is agriculture, with beet
, cotton, wheat and various fruits its main products. Winemaking
activities are also prominent with Manzanilla
and other fino
s too. Lebrija is also known for its pottery
and earthenware
heritage, including búcaros. The farmers of this area were the first to cultivate corn brought over from the Americas.
, although the founding of Lebrija, possibly did not take place till the Phoenicia
ns arrival, who baptised the settlement as Lepriptza, then to be renamed Nebrissa, during Tartessian
times.
Originally, it was a port on the shores of the Lacus Ligustinus, a large inner lake surrounded by the Guadalquivir River and its tributaries and coastal sand bars to the South. The lake later filled with sediment, and gradually gave way to the current Guadalviquir marshy lowlands or, in Spanish, las Marismas.
Lebrija is also the Nabrissa or Nebrissa, surnamed Veneria, of the Romans
; by Silius Italicus
. According to local historian José Bellido, the word "veneria", (Latin: "that which venerates (worships)") makes reference to the mythical foundation of Lebrija by the god Dionysus
(Bacchus): "Where special veneration is given to Bacchus, there where the swift satyr
es and the menades, at night celebrate the mysteries
of that god, with their heads covered up with a deer skin".
Nebrishah was a strong and populous place during the period of Moorish domination (from 711); it was taken by King St Ferdinand in 1249, but again lost, and became finally subject to the Castilian crown only under Alfonso the Wise in 1264.
Lebrija was the birthplace of Elio Antonio de Lebrija (1444–1522), also known as Antonius Nebrissensis, one of the most important Renaissance leaders in Spain, author of the first grammar of a Romance language, the tutor of Queen Isabella
, and a collaborator with Cardinal Jiménez de Cisneros in the preparation of the Complutensian Polyglot Bible
.
Lebrija was granted city status by letters patent
in 1924.
During the Spanish Second Republic, Lebrija was always a Frente Popular stronghold, as it has been an Anarchist one in the previous century. A process of Agrarian reform
was started with some collectivisation of farms and expropriation
of land from absentee landlords. This was put to an end with the army rebellion, which lead to the Spanish Civil War
and ultimately to the Franco
ist victory.
In the 1960s and 1970s, Lebrija, together with Jerez and Morón de la Frontera
, became a focus of Jornalero protests (peasants without land) due to their poor living condition and expectatives. As a result, a regime of "communitary work", guaranteeing a minimum salary during a few months every year, was established.
Shortly after Francisco Franco
's death, on 6 January 1976, around one hundred jornaleros locked themselves up in the parsh church to express their political demands, only to be removed by the Civil Guard
, but not before they have voiced their consigns using the church tower loudspeakers several times:
among its old buildings. Its chief buildings are a ruined Moorish castle and the parish church, Santa María de la Oliva, one of the finest churches in the province of Seville that combines a variety of styles: Mudéjar
, Renaissance
and Baroque
, dating from the 14th century to the 16th, and containing some early specimens of the carving of Alonso Cano (1601–1667).
The campanile
tower was inspired by the Giralda
, of the Cathedral of Seville, and it is commonly known as "La Giraldilla" (little Giralda). Santa María de la Oliva was originally a mosque that was reclaimed as a Christian temple in 1249, following the Reconquista
. Part of the church retains its original mosque elements and resembles a smaller version of the Mezquita
in Córdoba.
The Casa de la Cultura (Cultural Center) was built in the 18th century in Andalusian Baroque style. Originally, it was used as a wheat silo
for the Archbishop of Seville and housing for the local Catholic chapter. The Diezmo
s and tributes paid by the town people to the church
were kept here. In 1982, the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party
in charge of Lebrija City Council at the time bought the property and its restoration began. It was reopened in 1986 as the "Casa de Culture", a place dedicated to learning, exhibits, and all sorts of cultural expressions, including dance and music.
The Covent and Church of San Francisco (1585) has always been associated to the Franciscan Order. It is located in the Plaza Manuela Murube (also known popularly as El Pilar), one of the most beautiful and artistic corners of Lebrija. In the same square are located the Old Hospital of Mercy (Hospital de la Misericordia) and Saint Andrew's Assylum (Asilo de San Andrés).
, known as Sevillanas corraleras.
The local annual fair is dedicated to the patron saint
of Lebrija, Our Lady of The Castle, and held around her nameday, on 12 September.
The festivity of the Júas (Andalusian dialect pronunciation of the name Judas) takes place on Saint John's Eve. Local people get together and make lifesize rag dolls, representing celebrities and local politicians. These rag dolls are left outside of houses so they can be admired by others. At midnight they are set alight, together with a fireworks display, thus ending the festivity.
As in Seville
and other Andalusian cities, towns, and villages, several hermandad
es, or religious brotherhoods, march in procession
, carrying pasos, lifelike wood or plaster sculptures of individual scenes of the Passion of Jesus Christ or images of the Virgin Mary. One of the most important hermandades is Veracruz.
Lebrija is a flamenco
centre and the Caracolá, one of the major flamenco festivals in Spain is held there every year in July.
Seville (province)
Seville is a province of southern Spain, in the western part of the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is bordered by the provinces of Málaga, Cádiz, Huelva, Badajoz, and Córdoba.Its area is 14,042 km²...
, Andalusia (Spain), near the left bank of the Guadalquivir
Guadalquivir
The Guadalquivir is the fifth longest river in the Iberian peninsula and the second longest river to be its whole length in Spain. The Guadalquivir is 657 kilometers long and drains an area of about 58,000 square kilometers...
river, and on the eastern edge of the marshes known as Las Marismas
Las Marismas
The Guadalquivir Marshes is an area of marshy lowlands near the banks of Guadalquivir River, part of Seville province, in Western Andalusia , which contains part of the territories of the municipalities of Isla Mayor, Los Palacios y Villafranca, La Puebla del Río, Villafranco del Guadalquivir,...
.
According to a 2008 population census, it has 26,046 inhabitants, and has an area surface of 372 km², making it one of the biggest municipalities in the province. The nearest municipalities are El Cuervo
El Cuervo
El Cuervo is a municipality located in the province of Teruel, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 110 inhabitants....
and Las Cabezas de San Juan
Las Cabezas de San Juan
Las Cabezas de San Juan is a village and municipality located in the Bajo Guadalquivir comarca, in Seville province, Andalusia, Spain. According to the 2009 census , the village has a population of 16.464 inhabitants. Famous people from Las Cabezas de San Juan include Villarreal CF player Carlos...
, in Seville and Trebujena
Trebujena
-External links:* - Sistema de Información Multiterritorial de Andalucía* - Trebujena.net, The forum, the pictures and the news of Trebujena....
and the city of Jerez de la Frontera
Jerez de la Frontera
Jerez de la Frontera is a municipality in the province of Cádiz in the autonomous community of Andalusia, in southwestern Spain, situated midway between the sea and the mountains. , the city, the largest in the province, had 208,896 inhabitants; it is the fifth largest in Andalusia...
in the province of Cadiz
Cádiz (province)
Cádiz is a province of southern Spain, in the southwestern part of the autonomous community of Andalusia, the southernmost part of continental Western Europe....
.
The main productive activity is agriculture, with beet
Beet
The beet is a plant in the Chenopodiaceae family which is now included in Amaranthaceae family. It is best known in its numerous cultivated varieties, the most well known of which is the purple root vegetable known as the beetroot or garden beet...
, cotton, wheat and various fruits its main products. Winemaking
Winemaking
Winemaking, or vinification, is the production of wine, starting with selection of the grapes or other produce and ending with bottling the finished wine. Although most wine is made from grapes, it may also be made from other fruit or non-toxic plant material...
activities are also prominent with Manzanilla
Manzanilla
Manzanilla is a variety of fino sherry made around the port of Sanlúcar de Barrameda, in the province of Cádiz, Andalusia . In Spanish, chamomile tea is called "manzanilla", and thus this wine gets the name because the wine's flavour is said to be reminiscent of such tea.The sherry is manufactured...
and other fino
Fino
Fino is the driest and palest of the traditional varieties of sherry. They are drunk comparatively young, and unlike the sweeter varieties should be drunk soon after the bottle is opened as exposure to air can cause them to lose their flavour within hours.-Flor:The defining component of Fino...
s too. Lebrija is also known for its pottery
Pottery
Pottery is the material from which the potteryware is made, of which major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. The place where such wares are made is also called a pottery . Pottery also refers to the art or craft of the potter or the manufacture of pottery...
and earthenware
Earthenware
Earthenware is a common ceramic material, which is used extensively for pottery tableware and decorative objects.-Types of earthenware:Although body formulations vary between countries and even between individual makers, a generic composition is 25% ball clay, 28% kaolin, 32% quartz, and 15%...
heritage, including búcaros. The farmers of this area were the first to cultivate corn brought over from the Americas.
History
There has been human presence in the area since the Bronze AgeBronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
, although the founding of Lebrija, possibly did not take place till the Phoenicia
Phoenicia
Phoenicia , was an ancient civilization in Canaan which covered most of the western, coastal part of the Fertile Crescent. Several major Phoenician cities were built on the coastline of the Mediterranean. It was an enterprising maritime trading culture that spread across the Mediterranean from 1550...
ns arrival, who baptised the settlement as Lepriptza, then to be renamed Nebrissa, during Tartessian
Tartessian
Tertessian may refer to:*an ancient civilization based in Tartessos in modern-day Andalusia*the Tartessian language*the Tartessian script...
times.
Originally, it was a port on the shores of the Lacus Ligustinus, a large inner lake surrounded by the Guadalquivir River and its tributaries and coastal sand bars to the South. The lake later filled with sediment, and gradually gave way to the current Guadalviquir marshy lowlands or, in Spanish, las Marismas.
Lebrija is also the Nabrissa or Nebrissa, surnamed Veneria, of the Romans
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....
; by Silius Italicus
Silius Italicus
Silius Italicus, in full Tiberius Catius Asconius Silius Italicus , was a Roman consul, orator, and Latin epic poet of the 1st century CE,...
. According to local historian José Bellido, the word "veneria", (Latin: "that which venerates (worships)") makes reference to the mythical foundation of Lebrija by the god Dionysus
Dionysus
Dionysus was the god of the grape harvest, winemaking and wine, of ritual madness and ecstasy in Greek mythology. His name in Linear B tablets shows he was worshipped from c. 1500—1100 BC by Mycenean Greeks: other traces of Dionysian-type cult have been found in ancient Minoan Crete...
(Bacchus): "Where special veneration is given to Bacchus, there where the swift satyr
Satyr
In Greek mythology, satyrs are a troop of male companions of Pan and Dionysus — "satyresses" were a late invention of poets — that roamed the woods and mountains. In myths they are often associated with pipe-playing....
es and the menades, at night celebrate the mysteries
Eleusinian Mysteries
The Eleusinian Mysteries were initiation ceremonies held every year for the cult of Demeter and Persephone based at Eleusis in ancient Greece. Of all the mysteries celebrated in ancient times, these were held to be the ones of greatest importance...
of that god, with their heads covered up with a deer skin".
Isabella I of Castile
Isabella I was Queen of Castile and León. She and her husband Ferdinand II of Aragon brought stability to both kingdoms that became the basis for the unification of Spain. Later the two laid the foundations for the political unification of Spain under their grandson, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor...
, and a collaborator with Cardinal Jiménez de Cisneros in the preparation of the Complutensian Polyglot Bible
Complutensian Polyglot Bible
The Complutensian Polyglot Bible is the name given to the first printed polyglot of the entire Bible, initiated and financed by Cardinal Francisco Jiménez de Cisneros . It includes the first printed editions of the Greek New Testament, the complete Septuagint, and the Targum Onkelos...
.
Lebrija was granted city status by letters patent
Letters patent
Letters patent are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch or president, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, title, or status to a person or corporation...
in 1924.
History of the Jornalero movement
In 1903, the first general strike was recorded and documented by Spanish writer Azorín.During the Spanish Second Republic, Lebrija was always a Frente Popular stronghold, as it has been an Anarchist one in the previous century. A process of Agrarian reform
Agrarian reform
Agrarian reform can refer either, narrowly, to government-initiated or government-backed redistribution of agricultural land or, broadly, to an overall redirection of the agrarian system of the country, which often includes land reform measures. Agrarian reform can include credit measures,...
was started with some collectivisation of farms and expropriation
Nationalization
Nationalisation, also spelled nationalization, is the process of taking an industry or assets into government ownership by a national government or state. Nationalization usually refers to private assets, but may also mean assets owned by lower levels of government, such as municipalities, being...
of land from absentee landlords. This was put to an end with the army rebellion, which lead to the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
and ultimately to the Franco
Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...
ist victory.
In the 1960s and 1970s, Lebrija, together with Jerez and Morón de la Frontera
Morón de la Frontera
Morón de la Frontera is a Spanish town in Seville province, Andalusia, 63 km South-East of Seville. It is primarily known as being home to Morón Air Base. The most remarkable monuments are the Moorish castle ruins and the main church...
, became a focus of Jornalero protests (peasants without land) due to their poor living condition and expectatives. As a result, a regime of "communitary work", guaranteeing a minimum salary during a few months every year, was established.
Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...
's death, on 6 January 1976, around one hundred jornaleros locked themselves up in the parsh church to express their political demands, only to be removed by the Civil Guard
Civil Guard
The Civil Guard , often abbreviated in Hebrew to Mash'az is a volunteer organization of Israeli citizens which assists in daily police work. It is a subdivision of the Israel Police.-Organization:...
, but not before they have voiced their consigns using the church tower loudspeakers several times:
"We want the miscultivated fields and lands to be given to jornaleros and small owners. We want subsidies for the unemployed all year round. We want collective agreements for the whole sector and a right to retirement at 60. We want trade union liberty and freedom for all political prisoners and exiles..."
Main sights
The area has remnants of its Muslim pastAl-Andalus
Al-Andalus was the Arabic name given to a nation and territorial region also commonly referred to as Moorish Iberia. The name describes parts of the Iberian Peninsula and Septimania governed by Muslims , at various times in the period between 711 and 1492, although the territorial boundaries...
among its old buildings. Its chief buildings are a ruined Moorish castle and the parish church, Santa María de la Oliva, one of the finest churches in the province of Seville that combines a variety of styles: Mudéjar
Mudéjar
Mudéjar is the name given to individual Moors or Muslims of Al-Andalus who remained in Iberia after the Christian Reconquista but were not converted to Christianity...
, Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
and 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...
, dating from the 14th century to the 16th, and containing some early specimens of the carving of Alonso Cano (1601–1667).
Campanile
Campanile is an Italian word meaning "bell tower" . The term applies to bell towers which are either part of a larger building or free-standing, although in American English, the latter meaning has become prevalent.The most famous campanile is probably the Leaning Tower of Pisa...
tower was inspired by the Giralda
Giralda
thumb|right|The Giralda at its various stages of construction: Almohad , Medieval Christian , and Renaissance .The Giralda is a former minaret that was converted to a bell tower for the Cathedral of Seville in Seville...
, of the Cathedral of Seville, and it is commonly known as "La Giraldilla" (little Giralda). Santa María de la Oliva was originally a mosque that was reclaimed as a Christian temple in 1249, following the Reconquista
Reconquista
The Reconquista was a period of almost 800 years in the Middle Ages during which several Christian kingdoms succeeded in retaking the Muslim-controlled areas of the Iberian Peninsula broadly known as Al-Andalus...
. Part of the church retains its original mosque elements and resembles a smaller version of the Mezquita
Mezquita
The Cathedral and former Great Mosque of Córdoba, in ecclesiastical terms the Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción , and known by the inhabitants of Córdoba as the Mezquita-Catedral , is today a World Heritage Site and the cathedral of the Diocese of Córdoba...
in Córdoba.
The Casa de la Cultura (Cultural Center) was built in the 18th century in Andalusian Baroque style. Originally, it was used as a wheat silo
Storage silo
A silo is a structure for storing bulk materials. Silos are used in agriculture to store grain or fermented feed known as silage. Silos are more commonly used for bulk storage of grain, coal, cement, carbon black, woodchips, food products and sawdust. Three types of silos are in widespread use...
for the Archbishop of Seville and housing for the local Catholic chapter. The Diezmo
Diezmo
The diezmo was a compulsory ecclesiastical tithe collected in Spain and its empire from the Middle Ages until the reign of Isabella II in the mid-19th century.-History:...
s and tributes paid by the town people to the church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
were kept here. In 1982, the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party
Spanish Socialist Workers' Party
The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party is a social-democratic political party in Spain. Its political position is Centre-left. The PSOE is the former ruling party of Spain, until beaten in the elections of November 2011 and the second oldest, exceeded only by the Partido Carlista, founded in...
in charge of Lebrija City Council at the time bought the property and its restoration began. It was reopened in 1986 as the "Casa de Culture", a place dedicated to learning, exhibits, and all sorts of cultural expressions, including dance and music.
The Covent and Church of San Francisco (1585) has always been associated to the Franciscan Order. It is located in the Plaza Manuela Murube (also known popularly as El Pilar), one of the most beautiful and artistic corners of Lebrija. In the same square are located the Old Hospital of Mercy (Hospital de la Misericordia) and Saint Andrew's Assylum (Asilo de San Andrés).
Culture
The Cruces de Mayo (Holy Crosses of May) is the most well-known and popular festivity in Lebrija. It is held during the first two weekends of May every year. It is a community activity where each neighborhood raises a cross, either using a permanent buttercross site or building them from scratch using flowers, forged iron or wood. These places around the town are then used for dancing and singing, particularly a local form of SevillanasSevillanas
Sevillanas are a type of folk music, sung and written in Seville in Spain. Historically, they are a derivative of Castilian folk music . They have a relatively limited musical pattern, but rich lyrics, based on country side life, virgins, towns, neighborhoods, pilgrimage, and love themes...
, known as Sevillanas corraleras.
The local annual fair is dedicated to the patron saint
Patron saint
A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person...
of Lebrija, Our Lady of The Castle, and held around her nameday, on 12 September.
The festivity of the Júas (Andalusian dialect pronunciation of the name Judas) takes place on Saint John's Eve. Local people get together and make lifesize rag dolls, representing celebrities and local politicians. These rag dolls are left outside of houses so they can be admired by others. At midnight they are set alight, together with a fireworks display, thus ending the festivity.
As in Seville
Seville
Seville is the artistic, historic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of above sea level...
and other Andalusian cities, towns, and villages, several hermandad
Hermandad
Hermandad, literally "brotherhood" in Spanish, was a peacekeeping association of armed individuals, which became characteristic of municipal life in medieval Spain, especially in Castile....
es, or religious brotherhoods, march in procession
Procession
A procession is an organized body of people advancing in a formal or ceremonial manner.-Procession elements:...
, carrying pasos, lifelike wood or plaster sculptures of individual scenes of the Passion of Jesus Christ or images of the Virgin Mary. One of the most important hermandades is Veracruz.
Lebrija is a flamenco
Flamenco
Flamenco is a genre of music and dance which has its foundation in Andalusian music and dance and in whose evolution Andalusian Gypsies played an important part....
centre and the Caracolá, one of the major flamenco festivals in Spain is held there every year in July.
People
- Elio Antonio de LebrijaAntonio de NebrijaAntonio de Lebrija , also known as Antonio de Nebrija, Elio Antonio de Lebrija, Antonius Nebrissensis, and Antonio of Lebrixa, was a Spanish scholar, known for writing a grammar of the Castilian language, credited as one of the first published grammars of a Romance language...
, Andalusian grammarian who wrote the first grammar of the Spanish language, was born in this town. - Juan Díaz de SolísJuan Díaz de SolísJuan Díaz de Solís was a Spanish navigator and explorer.Díaz de Solís was probably born in Lebrija, Seville, although some other authors argue that his birth may have actually taken place in Portugal to an Andalusian emigree family....
, navigatorNavigatorA navigator is the person on board a ship or aircraft responsible for its navigation. The navigator's primary responsibility is to be aware of ship or aircraft position at all times. Responsibilities include planning the journey, advising the Captain or aircraft Commander of estimated timing to...
and explorer who reached and named the Rio de la PlataRío de la PlataThe Río de la Plata —sometimes rendered River Plate in British English and the Commonwealth, and occasionally rendered [La] Plata River in other English-speaking countries—is the river and estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River on the border between Argentina and...
EstuaryEstuaryAn estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
. - Juan Bernabé (1947–1972), dramatist and theatre director
- Juan Peña "El Lebrijano"LebrijanoJuan Peña Fernández, also known as Juan Peña "El Lebrijano" or simply El Lebrijano is a Spanish Gitano musician, the nephew of Perrate de Utrera.- Biography:...
, flamencoFlamencoFlamenco is a genre of music and dance which has its foundation in Andalusian music and dance and in whose evolution Andalusian Gypsies played an important part....
singer. - Juan Ramón López Caro, former manager of Real MadridReal MadridReal Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
Football Club, of the Spanish La LigaLa LigaThe Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system... - Benito ZambranoBenito ZambranoBenito Zambrano , is an awarded Spanish screenwriter and film director. His film Habana Blues was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival...
, contemporary filmmaker
External links
- Official website
- Lebrija in Pueblos de España website
- Painting and Sculpture in Lebrija, by Juan Cordero Ruiz, Emeritus Professor of University of Seville