Benabarre is the historical and cultural capital of the comarca. It is part of the geo-linguistic area ofLa Franja, whereRibagorçan dialect ofCatalan is spoken. In ancient texts it appears asBenabarri.[4][5]
It is a very old town, probably the Roman "Bargidum" or "Bargusia", and it is said that it was given to the Arabs taking the name of their first lord Aben Avarre.[6] It was conquered from Islam around the year1062 (although there is no document proving the exact date). What leaves no doubt is that it was conquered byRamiro I of Aragon for theKingdom of Aragon within the same military campaign in which he conquered, immediately north of the town, the places ofLuzás,Viacamp y Litera,Tolva,Laguarres andLascuarre, and to the south of the town, but north of Purroy and Caserras, the lands of Falces, Falcibus, from one of whose houses and its alloys, the king granted a franchise to Agila de Falces and brothers on February 1, 1067 (as documented on that date).[7]
Traditionally, Benabarre was the capital of the historicCounty of Ribagorza, which was more expansive in territory than today, and included thecomarca ofAlta Ribagorça, now in the province ofLleida, Catalonia. It was during theSpanish War of Independence, from 1808 to 1814, that theFrench Napoleonic troops, in retaliation against the inhabitants of Benabarre, decided to makeGraus the capital of the comarca. Ever since, Benabarre ceased to be the administrative capital, but it is still the most important cultural and historical center of the region. During theFirst Carlist War (1833–1840) it was one of the towns that suffered the most from those in the province of Huesca.
Entença. Located on the left bank of theCajigar river. It belongs to Benabarre since 1974. The castle of the town was the origin of theEntença Barony.[15]
Benabarre (capital of the municipality).[16] (Its streets maintain a medieval structure). Located 1 km to the north is the old DominicanMonastery of Our Lady of Linares.[17]
Caladrones. It is located on a hill on the left bank of theRío Guart. From the old Castle of Caladrones only the tower remains. In 1974, the municipal term of Caladrones along with its towns: Caladrones, Ciscar and Entença, was annexed to the one of Benabarre.[18]
Castilló del Pla. Located at the foot of theCorrodella range, at 762 meters of altitude. Previously it was part of the municipality of Pilzán.[19]
Ciscar. Located at 591 meters of altitude on the right bank of the Cajigar river.[20]
Estaña. It is located at 716 meters of altitude in the mountains that separate the Guart River and the waters of "La Sosa" (Cinca river).[21]
Pilzán. At 905 meters of altitude above sea level. Until 1972 it was an independent municipality. The population entities that included the term were: Estaña, Castilló del Pla, the depopulated of Penavera i Cabestany,[22] and la quadra d'Andolfa.[23]
Purroy de la Solana. Located above the ravine "El Molí". Independent term until 1974.[24] The municipality included the hermitage ofNuestra Señora del Pla.[25]
The most remarkable act is thepastorada between the master and theramadá (shepherd), and the typical danceEl ball dels palitrocs. It is also held theBaixada de Carricotxes, a float ornament contest.
August
Ball dels Salvatges: Recently recovered representation. It is a type of theater with a series of dances starring men of different social status, whose purpose is to conquer a lady. Since 2010 it is a biennial representation.
The summer carnival is held on the third weekend of August.
Its Holy Week procession is also well known in the Ribagorza, unusual in this sense because the Romans who lead the procession have little to do with the Romans that we can all know, it is a Roman costume with influences of a Renaissance soldier, a complete visual delight for tourists who want to stop and watch this procession on Holy Friday at 10 pm from the Our Lady of Valdeflores church square.
Also noticeable are the Hermitage of Santa Maria of Caladrones and the Hermitage of San Salvador of Entença, as well as churches of Saint Romanus of Estaña, Saint Stephen of Estaña, Saint James of Entença, Saint Anne of Caladrones, Santa María of Aler, Saint Cristopher of Ciscar and Saint Michael of Ciscar.
^Carlos Ángel Rizos Jiménez and Moisés Selfa Sastre (2009).Municipio de Benavarri (Benabarrre). Toponimia de Ribagorza. Editorial Milenio-Gobierno de Aragón.ISBN978-84-9743-303-7.
^As shown in theLegislative Decree 2/2006Archived 2009-04-23 at theWayback Machine of 27 December, of the Government of Aragon, by the revised text of the Law on Comarcal Demarcation of Aragon is approved.
^Temprado Ordíaz, Santiago (1993).Pueblos de Aragón: Paterna (in Spanish). Ed. Alcañiz. p. 230. Archived fromthe original on 2016-03-28. Retrieved2020-06-24.
^Ubieto Arteta, Antonio (1981).Historia de Aragón, la formación territorial (in Spanish). Anubar. pp. 51–52.ISBN9788470131813.
^Secretaría de Estado para las Administraciones Territoriales (Ministerio de la Presidencia y para las Administraciones Territoriales, Gobierno de España) (May 6, 2018)."Base de datos de Alcaldes. Elecciones 1979–2015". Archived fromthe original on April 19, 2018. RetrievedMay 6, 2018.
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