Municipality in Valencian Community, Spain
Bigastro
(
Spanish pronunciation:
[bi??ast?o]
;
Valencian
:
Bigastre
) is a
municipality
in the
Valencian Community
(
Spain
) situated in the south of the
province of Alicante
, in the
comarca
of
Vega Baja del Segura
. It had a
population
of 6,450 at the time of the 2005
census
.
History
[
edit
]
In La Loma, there is an archaeological site dating from the
Bronze Age
.
The city (
Latin
:
Bigastrum
) was the seat of a bishop under
Byzantine rule
. It was probably recovered by the
Visigoths
under
Witteric
.
The district derives its name from the
Lugar Nuevo de los Canonigos
, a place of residence for the canons of
Orihuela
cathedral, which once had power over the area. In 1701, after some lawsuits with the settlers, the church made some allowances which permitted the foundation of Bigastro, starting with three estates, in which 24 families lived.
Economy
[
edit
]
At the time of its foundation,
agriculture
was concentrated around
flax
and
hemp
; in the 19th century, the fall of the textile sector sparked interest in citrus fruits and products from irrigated fields. There is also industrial activity, mainly in the form of construction and manufacturing.
Demography
[
edit
]
In 2005, Bigastro had 6,450 residents, 11.79% of which were foreigners. The most common nationality was
British
(22% of all foreigners).
Monuments
[
edit
]
The young age of the town means that some landlord's homes survive, along with some farmer's dwellings dispersed throughout the area. One unique monument that must be mentioned is the Church of the Virgin of Bethlehem, where a sculpture of Saint
Joachim
of Salzillo.
Gastronomy
[
edit
]
The typical dishes in the area are
stew
and
rabbit
with
rice
.
[2]
Other important dishes in Bigastro come from the
pastry
shops:
almojabanas
, tonas, almendrados, monas and soplillos.
Twin towns
[
edit
]
Festivals
[
edit
]
- Night festivals and stalls are the essence of celebration dedicated to Saint
Joachim
in August. Others are
El Rosario de la Aurora
, every Sunday in October, the festivals of the
Santa Cruz
, of
Romeria de San Isidro
and of
Santa Ana
. The musical tradition goes back over a century and is presented in the form of the Union Musical Band of Bigastro.
- El Abuelo
, as he is normally known (Saint
Joachim
) over other titles. In October 1993, the 200th anniversary of his first arrival in Bigastro was commemorated, with the unveiling of a sculpture of their patron saint.
Famous residents
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
|
---|
International
| |
---|
National
| |
---|
Geographic
| |
---|