Parroquia
Encyclopedia
A parroquia is a population entity or parish found in Galicia and Asturias
in north-west Spain
. The term may have its origins in Roman Catholic Church usage, similar to the British term parish
. The concept forms a very settled part of the popular consciousness, but it has never become an official political division. They are equivalent to freguesia
s in Portugal.
Some say that it constitutes an attempt, as originally created, to more or less match up with tribes predating the Roman presence.
In Galicia there are 3781 parroquia, each comprising between three and fifteen or more villages. They developed over time as de facto entities, although the Galician Statute of Autonomy of 1981
recognises them as territorial entities below the concello (municipality) and above villages.
Asturias
The Principality of Asturias is an autonomous community of the Kingdom of Spain, coextensive with the former Kingdom of Asturias in the Middle Ages...
in north-west Spain
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...
. The term may have its origins in Roman Catholic Church usage, similar to the British term parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
. The concept forms a very settled part of the popular consciousness, but it has never become an official political division. They are equivalent to freguesia
Freguesia
Freguesia is the Portuguese term for a secondary local administrative unit in Portugal and some of its former colonies, and a former secondary local administrative unit in Macau, roughly equivalent to an administrative parish. A freguesia is a subdivision of a concelho, the Portuguese synonym term...
s in Portugal.
Some say that it constitutes an attempt, as originally created, to more or less match up with tribes predating the Roman presence.
In Galicia there are 3781 parroquia, each comprising between three and fifteen or more villages. They developed over time as de facto entities, although the Galician Statute of Autonomy of 1981
Galician Statute of Autonomy of 1981
The Galician Statute of Autonomy of 1981 is the current basic institutional norm of Galicia. The Galician Government, Parliament and High Court of Galicia are regulated by it.-Genesis of the 1981 Statute:...
recognises them as territorial entities below the concello (municipality) and above villages.