Astorga, Spain

Astorga is a small city and episcopal see, located in the province of León of Spain. It lies southwest of the city of León, and is the capital of the council ("comarca") of La Maragatería. It is situated at 868 m above sea-level, and has an area of 47 km². The river Tuerto flows though it. Its population (2004) is about 12,207 people.

The coat of arms of the town includes an oak branch.

Astorga lies in the area of the Maragatos, a small ethnic community with distinctive customs and architecture.

The Episcopal Palace of Astorga was built by Gaudí and is one of the major attractions today. The city cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Astorga is another.

Astorga lies along the French route of the Way of St. James ( _es. Camino de Santiago). Saint Turibius of Astorga was bishop of the city in the 5th century.

History

Astorga was originally a celtic settlement which later become one of the Roman strongholds in the region called by them Asturica. The Roman city was founded in the year 14 BC, being entitled by Emperor Octavian as Asturica Augusta. There are ruins of Roman baths that are visible today.

Asturica was the main city in north-west Spain during the Roman Empire. Plinius called the city "Urbs magnifica" ("magnificent city"). The "Via Platea" went from Asturica (Astorga) to Emerita (Merida). One of the three firsts bishoprics in Spain was founded in Astorga, so the title of Bishop of Astorga is one of the oldest religious charges of Europe. After the campaigns of Alfonso I of Asturias (739-757) against the Moors, the city lay an abandoned in the largely empty buffer zone between Moors and Christians known at the time as "The Desert of the Duero" and was part of the "Repoblación" ("repopulation") effort carried out a century later, during the reign of Ordoño I of Asturias (850-866). Astorga suffered from decadence until the 11th century, when the city became one of the main points in the French route for the pilgrims to Saint Jacob's tomb in Compostela. In the 15th century began the construction of the Cathedral, which was not finished until the late 18th century.

During the Peninsular War, Astorga was besieged by the French Napoleonic troops. Astorga was the farthest town in the Iberian Peninsula in which the Emperor Napoleon resided.

External links

* [http://www.ayuntamientodeastorga.com/ Ayuntamiento de Astorga] Astorga municipal government website es icon
* [http://www.maragateria.com Maragateria Page]
* [http://www.cocido-maragato.com famous food of astorga zone: cocido maragato (spanish)]