Padrón | |
|---|---|
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 Coat of arms | |
  Padrón Location in Spain. | |
| Coordinates:42°44′17″N8°39′37″W / 42.73806°N 8.66028°W /42.73806; -8.66028 | |
| Country | Spain |
| Autonomous Community | Galicia |
| Province | A Coruña |
| Comarca | O Sar |
| Parroquia | List
|
| Government | |
| • Type | Concello |
| • Mayor | Antonio Fernández Angueira (Partido Popular de Galicia) |
| Area | |
• Total | 48.37 km2 (18.68 sq mi) |
| Population (2024-01-01)[1] | |
• Total | 8,256 |
| • Density | 170.7/km2 (442.1/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Padroneses or Irienses |
| Time zone | CET (GMT +1) |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (GMT +2) |
| Post code | 15900 |
| Website | Official website |
Padrón (Galician pronunciation:[paˈðɾoŋ]) is aconcello (Galician formunicipality) in theProvince of A Coruña, inGalicia (Spain) within thecomarca ofO Sar. It covers an area of 48.4 km2 (18.7 sq mi), is 95 km (59 mi) fromA Coruña and 23 km (14 mi) fromSantiago de Compostela. As of 2009[update], the town had population of 8,968 according to theInstituto Nacional de Estadística (INE). Padrón is divided into fiveparishes:
Iria Flavia was an ancientCeltic settlement, the capital of theCapori tribe. It was located at the confluence of the riversSar andUlla, and on the crossroads toBraga (Portugal) andAstorga (León). It becameIria Flavia underTitus Flavius Vespasianus. During the middle ages, it was theEpiscopal See untilAlfonso II of Asturias moved it toCompostela after the finding ofSaint James the Great's sepulchre. In modern days, the town is the last stop onThe Portuguese Way route of theCamino de Santiago.
When the name "Padrón" became more popular, "Iria Flavia" was consigned to a smallhamlet (the current parish).
According to tradition, it was in Iria Flavia that theApostleSaint James first preached during his stay inHispania. Soon after his death, hisdisciplesTheodore and Athanasius brought his head and body to Iria fromJerusalem in a stone boat. They moored the boat to apedrón (Galician for big stone), hence the newtoponym given to the place. The two disciples remained in Iria Flavia (now Padrón) to preach after burying Saint James in Compostela. The legendarypedrón can be seen today at the parish church of Santiago de Padrón.
Padrón soon became a popular passing place in theCamino de Santiagopilgrimage route and suffered several attacks in the 10th and 11th centuries byVikings andNormans. The invasion attempts decreased after theTorres del Oeste (West Towers) were built as protection inCatoira (Pontevedra) by BishopCresconio. This led to a period of prosperity during the 12th and 13th centuries.
During this period and under ArchbishopDiego Gelmírez (born in the West Towers) aquay was built by the Sar river bank. From itsshipyard came the firstgalleys of the GalicianNavy.
In the 15th century, ArchbishopRodrigo de Luna moved Santiago de Compostela's Town Council to Padrón for two years, to fend off the influence of theCounts of Altamira. His sepulcher with a reclining sculpture can be found at the Iria Flavia parish church.
The focus of attention gradually moved to nearbyCompostela, capital ofGalicia.
The economy is based mainly on fishing andagriculture (peppers,kiwis andflowers are grown), and to a lesser extent on other industries (wood,tanned hide,aluminium),tourism andtrade, due to its location at a crossroads.
The most famous produce of Padrón are its peppers (Galicianpementos de Padrón), which are small green peppers from theCapsicum annuum family. They are served fried witholive oil andcoarse salt. Most taste sweet and mild, though some are particularly hot and spicy, which gives its character to the dish and is perfectly captured in the popular"Os pementos de Padrón, uns pican e outros non" (Galician for "Padrón peppers, some are hot and some are not"). The level of heat varies according to thecapsaicin of each pepper. Although it's not always the case, the peppers grown towards August/September tend to contain more capsaicin than the ones of June/July.
In Padrón, between June and September each year, approximately 15,000 kg (33,000 lb) of peppers are grown, mostly in the valley of the parish of Herbón. In 1979, the firstFesta do Pemento de Padrón was organized in Herbón, a popular gastronomic event that is now held every year on the first Sunday in August. Thefesta takes place in thecarballeira of Herbón'sFranciscan friary, since it was the Franciscan friars that brought the first pepper seeds fromMexico in the 16th century. The peppers were then adapted to the soil andoceanic climate of the Herbón valley, and grown with using special techniques.
Padrón has been home to four important writers:
List of municipalities in A Coruña
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