Located in the northwest of theIberian Peninsula, in the northern half of the Inner Plateau, the city lies on the left bank of theCarrión river.
At the regional level, Palencia forms part of an economic axis together with the cities ofValladolid andBurgos.[2] As of 2017, the municipality has a population of 78,892.[3]
View of theCristo del Otero hill. The colossal statue of Jesus is reportedly the fourth-largest in the world.
Palencia lies in the north of the central Spanish plateau, theMeseta Central, in the middle of theCarrión river valley, near the river's confluence with thePisuerga, which flows through the town creating four islets, Dos Aguas and Sotillo being the largest. Palencia is located approximately 190 km north ofMadrid, and some 40 km north ofValladolid, capital ofCastile and León.
Two hills surround the city in its north-east area. On the closest stands the 30-metre high statue of Christ known as theCristo del Otero, the fourth-tallest statue of Christ in the world.[4]
Palencia has a substantial forest of 1,438 hectares (3,550 acres) 6 km away on a plateau above the city, known locally as the "Monte el Viejo" ("Old Mount"). This park is a popular amusement area for the locals.
The Canal de Castilla runs close to the city.
Palencia's municipality includes the village of Paredes de Monte, 14 km away.
The region of Palencia has a Continental Mediterranean climate with cool winters, due to altitude (749 m) and isolation frommaritime influences, chilly winds, including some days of snow in the winter and minimum temperatures usually below 0 °C (32 °F). Fog is frequent because of the Carrion river. Summers are hot with temperatures that consistently surpass 30 °C (86 °F) in July and that can rarely reach 38 °C (99 °F). Due to Palencia's altitude, nightly temperatures tend to be cooler, leading to a lower average in the summer months. Precipitation levels are moderated, but precipitation can be observed throughout the year (except July and August). Summer and winter are the driest seasons, with most rainfall occurring in the autumn and spring.
Light rains are very frequent in winter, with infrequent rain and heavy thunderstorms in the summer. Snow is an infrequent occurrence, with only a few days of snowfall each year in December, January, and February, however, snowfall can also occur in November or March.
Silver bracelet found in Palencia in 1956 in the school of the Filipenses composed of silver and gold jewelry, torques, necklaces, bracelets, earrings, fibulas and a large amount of silver dinars.Mosaic with Medusa, found at numbers 4 and 5 of Ramírez Street in 1869 and currently preserved in the MAN.
The fortifiedCeltiberian settlement is mentioned asPallantia (Παλλαντία) byStrabo andPtolemy,[7] a possible derivation of an Indo-European rootpala ("plain"). It was the chief town of theVaccaei,[8] although Strabo wrongly assigns it to theArevaci. The city was starved into submission by theRomans in the 2nd century BC and incorporated into theprovince ofHispania Tarraconensis, in the jurisdiction ofColonia Clunia Sulpicia (modern Clunia). Though the little Roman garrison city was an active mint, it was insignificant compared to theRoman villas ofLate Antiquity in the surrounding territory. Archeologists have uncovered the remains of Roman villas atLa Olmeda and at the "Quintanilla de la Cueza", where the fragments ofmosaic floors are spectacularly refined. According to the 5th-centuryGalician chroniclerIdatius, the city of Palencia was all but destroyed (457) in the Visigothic wars against theSuevi: the date falls in the reign ofTheodoric II, whose power centre still lay far to the east, inAquitania. When theVisigoths conquered the territory, however, they retained the Roman rural villa system in establishing theCampos Góticos ("Gothic Fields").
The Catholicbishopric of Palencia was founded in the 3rd century or earlier,[9] assuming that its bishop was among those assembled in the 3rd century to depose Basilides, bishop of Astorga.Priscillianism, which originated inRoman Egypt but flourished inIberia was declared a heresy by the emperorGratian. Prisciallinists held orthodox Catholic beliefs with Gnostic/Montanist influences.Priscillian was ordained priest and then consecrated bishop of Ávila. The 'heresy' was strongest in northwestern Spain. The declaration of heresy was a political move by the Catholic usurper emperor Maximus (383-388) to curry favor with the Catholic emperorsValentinian II andTheodosius I (a Spaniard). After the establishment of effective Visigothic power Catholics disputed the bishopric of Palencia with the Arian Visigoths. Maurila, an Arian bishop established in Palencia byLeovigild, followed KingReccared's conversion to Catholicism (587), and in 589 he assisted at theThird Council of Toledo.Bishop Conantius, the biographer of SaintIldephonsus, assisted at synods and councils in Toledo and composed music and a book of prayers from the Psalms; he ruled the see for more than thirty years, and had for his pupilFructuosus of Braga.[10]
When the Moors arrived in the early 8th century, resistance was fragmented among bishops in control of the small walled towns and the territorial magnates in their fortified villas. A concerted resistance seems to have been ineffective, and the fragmented system crumbled villa by villa. Palencia was insignificant: Moorish writers only once cite the border city in the division of the provinces previous to theUmayyad dynasty. The diocese of Palencia was but a name— a "titular see"— untilFroila, Count of Villafruela, succeeded in retaking the area of the see in 921, but the true restorer of Christian power wasSancho III of Navarre.[10]
The first prelate of the restored see (1035) is said to have been Bernardo, whom Sancho gavefeudal command over the city and its lands, with the various castles and the few abbeys.[10]
San Francisco Church, built in the 13th century.
Bernardo was born in France or Navarre, and devoted himself to the reconstruction of the original cathedral built over the crypt of the localSaint Antolín (Antoninus of Pamiers), thepatron saint of Palencia, who is venerated here alone, with his Ferias, a moveable feast in September. The cathedral was rebuilt again three centuries later. Its principal treasures were relics of Antoninus, formerly venerated in Aquitania,[10] whence they had been brought.
Alfonso VI conferred many privileges on Bernardo's successor, Raimundo. Pedro of Agen in France, one of the noted men brought in by BishopBernardo of Toledo, succeeded Bishop Raimundo. A supporter ofQueen Urraca, he was imprisoned byAlfonso I of Aragon. In 1113 a provincial council was held in Palencia by Archbishop Bernardo to quell the disorders of the epoch. The long and beneficent administration of Pedro was succeeded by that of Pedro II, who died in Almeria and was succeeded by Raimundo II. BishopTello took part in thebattle of Las Navas de Tolosa in 1212, where Palencia won the right to emblazon the cross over its castle.[10]
Historically, there was aJewish community in Palencia, with the first documentation of Jews living there dating to 1175, whenAlfonso VIII transported 40 Jews to the town and placed them under its jurisdiction. Most Jews of Palencia eventually moved toPortugal in 1492 due to theexpulsion of the Jews.[11]
The University of Palencia was founded in 1208, before being a University it was called Studium Generale. In the Studium Generale of Palencia studied Saint Dominic of Guzman, the Founder of the Catholic Dominican Order.
In 1410 Bishop Sancho de Rojas fought at thebattle of Antequera, where theInfante Ferdinand, regent of Castile and León, defeated Mohammed VII, king of Granada, and in the Treaty of Caspe he aided Ferdinand to secure the crown of Aragon.[10] SaintVincent Ferrer preached in Palencia, so successfully converting thousands of Jews, the Catholic sources tell, that he was permitted to employ thesynagogue for his new-founded hospital of San Salvador,[10] later joined to that of S. Antolin.
The successive bishops of Palencia, who, as feudal lords, were invariably members of the noble families, include:
The Roman bridge across theCarrión river was replaced by the medieval one of three arches: the old section of the city is on the left bank, the modern suburban development is on the right bank: it seems likely that the first inhabitants settled on the right bank, and later moved to the left bank—set on higher ground—due to frequent flooding.
Crypt of Saint Antoninus, Cathedral of Palencia
La Olmeda Roman Villa (Villa Romana de La Olmeda) is a well-preserved 4th century AD house.With 27 rooms and 3,000 square metres of space, it is best known for its mosaics, the most important of which depict great mythological scenes and can be found in its main hall. Several of the rooms in the villa also contain the remains of the Roman hypocausts. In addition to the main building, the villa site is surrounded by other Roman ruins such as numerous burial sites and a set of thermal baths.
The old city walls were more than 10 meters high and can still be traced; thealamedas or promenades along them were laid out in 1778.[8] The flamboyant GothicCathedral, built from 1321 to 1504 and dedicated toSan Antolín, stands over a low vaulted Visigothiccrypt; its museum contains a number of important works of art, including aretablo of twelve panels byJuan de Flandes, court painter to QueenIsabella I of Castile. The Archeological Museum containsCeltiberian ceramics.
Palencia is also famous for the 13th-century church of San Miguel, the San Francisco church. The Calle Mayor (High Street), is a pedestrian, 900-metres long street where many excellent examples of the 18th, 19th and early 20th-century architecture can be seen.
Palencia's population has increased in the last 10 years, from 78,800 inhabitants in the year 1996 to 81,552 in 2011. The town has historically been a centre for immigration from other parts of Spain, particularly between 1950 and 1970 receiving rural immigrants helping industrial development. Nevertheless, today, it has a population with more retirees than the average, due to youth emigration to larger urban centres such asValladolid,Madrid orBarcelona.
The countryside is green from October into June, as it is altered by the snow and the invernal ice. From June or July the countryside becomes a dry place.
The city has the largest landscaped area of Spain in relation to its surface area and is one of the largest in Europe. (15,000,000 m² of gardens in the village: Isabel II Park, Jardinillos Station, Orchard Guadián, La Carcavilla, among others and 14,000,000 "Old Mount")In 2010 the city of Palencia won the "most sustainable city in Spain".[12]
According to the Municipality of the capital, Palencia is the city with more green areas per inhabitant of Spain and occupies one of the first places in the European Union. This, coupled with the low density of traffic causes that the city air is fairly clean. The main parks in the city are:
The firstuniversity in Spain, thestudium generale of Palencia was founded byAlfonso VIII in 1208; however, the school did not long survive him. The 13th-century poetGonzalo de Berceo and Saint Dominic, Founder of the Dominican Catholic Order, studied at the University during its brief existence. The teachers from Palencia were drawn to the thrivingUniversity of Salamanca and theUniversity of Valladolid, but the very important religious orders remained in Palencia, under the Bishop of Palencia.
Palencia is well-linked to other town and cities of Spain by roads and highways:
Highways
A - 62 Valladolid / Madrid
A - 65 Benavente/ León / Asturias / Galicia
A - 67 Santander
CL - 610 =>A -62 Burgos / Bilbao / Zaragoza / Barcelona
Autonomic Roads
C - 613 Sahagún
C - 615 Guardo / Riaño
C - 619 Aranda de Duero / Soria
In addition, Palencia has a bus station located next to the train station. ALSA and other bus companies link Palencia to many Spanish cities and towns and it is especially useful for travelling to places not linked by train, such as the south-west of Spain.
Valladolid Airport is the closest airport to the city at 45 kilometres. There are daily flights to Barcelona, Valencia, Paris, Brussels and other destinations.
Palencia has a bus service formed by 6 daily lines, named with numbers, managed by Palbus. The fleet is 18 buses. It has one of the lowest fares of Spain (€0,65). There are 26 stops with electronic panels with the arriving of the next buses. The number of users per day at 2012 was 8,195, which is 2,900,000 per year. There is also a night bus, an electric bus, free Wi-Fi in all buses and intelligent systems with voice at the buses announcing the stops.
Palencia is making efforts in the area of sustainable mobility, such as extending a free bicycle loan system, implementing pedestrian areas in the town center and promoting environmentally sustainable public transport.
The main speciality of Palencia is locally producedlechazo (suckling lamb). Traditionally suckling lamb is roasted slowly in a wood oven and served with salad. "Menestra de Verduras" is a mixture of vegetables cooked with chopped pieces Spanish ham, onion, garlic and spices is another traditional dish.
Roasted lamb rack
Palencia also offers a great assortment of lettuces, leeks, wild mushrooms, peppers, asparagus, endives and beans. Some legumes, like white beans and lentils are particularly good and cooked in hot dishes withchorizo.
Thesopa de ajo, a traditional winter garlic soup dish, made with bread mixed with paprika, water and garlic and cooked slowly. A raw egg is often whipped into the soup as it is served.
Morcilla is a form of black sausage made from pig's blood. In Castile the pig blood is often flavoured with pieces of pork fat, onions herbs and spices; the addition of rice gives a distinctive texture and flavour.
Despite being an inland province, fish is quite commonly consumed. Brought from theCantabrian Sea, fish such as red bream and hake are a major part of Palencia's cuisine. Salted cod is another common dish.
Rivers from the Cantabric Mountains bring the famous trout, grilled with bacon. Crayfish is cooked with a thick tomato and onion sauce.
Palencia has a variety of different breads includingfabiolas,roscas orpanes.
The pastries and baked goods from the province of Palencia are well-known. Rice pudding andleche frita or fried milk (a mix of milk, sugar, flour and cinnamon with a delicious and jelly-like texture) are favourite desserts.
Palencia is also a producer of wines. Those that are certified asDesignation of Origin Arlanza are improving with a taste similar to those of Ribera del Duero and Toro.
^abcdefgh One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Amado, Ramón Ruiz (1911). "Diocese of Palencia". In Herbermann, Charles (ed.).Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 11. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
^"Palencia".Jewish Virtual Library. Retrieved24 June 2024.
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