Benabarre
Encyclopedia
Benabarre or Benavarri (bənəˈβari, benaˈβari; ) is a town in the Aragonese
county of Ribagorza, in the province of Huesca, Spain
.
Traditionally, Benabarre was the capital of the historic County of Ribagorza
, which was more expansive in territory than today, and included the comarca of Alta Ribagorça
, now in the province of Lleida
, Catalonia
.
It was during the Spanish War of Independence
, from 1808-1814, that the French Napoleonic
troops, in retaliation, decided to make Graus the temporary capital of the county. Graus
' population since that time has increased such that it is the largest town in Ribagorza and has consequently evolved into the role of administrative county seat. Despite this, Benabarre continues to be a significant historical and cultural center of attraction.
, Benabarre's local dialect of Ribagorçan
is a form of Catalan
.
Aragon
Aragon is a modern autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. Located in northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces : Huesca, Zaragoza, and Teruel. Its capital is Zaragoza...
county of Ribagorza, in the province of Huesca, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
.
Traditionally, Benabarre was the capital of the historic County of Ribagorza
County of Ribagorza
The County of Ribagorza or Ribagorça was originally the independent creation of a local Basque dynasty, later absorbed into the Kingdom of Navarre, and then into the Crown of Aragon. Historically it had a strong connexion with the counties of Sobrarbe and Pallars. Its territory was the valleys of...
, which was more expansive in territory than today, and included the comarca of Alta Ribagorça
Alta Ribagorça
Alta Ribagorça is one of the comarques of Catalonia, Spain. Its capital is Pont de Suert. The highest peak is the Comaloformo in the massif of Bessiberri. Northeast of the region is the western part of the National Aiguas Tortas and Lake of San Mauricio...
, now in the province of Lleida
Lleida (province)
thumb|250px|Monastery of [[Santa Maria de Bellpuig de les Avellanes]].Lleida is a province of north-eastern Spain, in the western part of the autonomous community of Catalonia. It is bordered by the provinces of Girona, Barcelona, Tarragona, Zaragoza and Huesca and the countries of France and...
, Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
.
It was during the Spanish War of Independence
Peninsular War
The Peninsular War was a war between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars. The war began when French and Spanish armies crossed Spain and invaded Portugal in 1807. Then, in 1808, France turned on its...
, from 1808-1814, that the French Napoleonic
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
troops, in retaliation, decided to make Graus the temporary capital of the county. Graus
Graus
Graus is a village in the Spanish province of Huesca, located in the Pyrenees at the confluence of rivers Esera and Isabena. It is the administrative capital of the region. It is one of the areas of Aragon in which is still preserved the Aragonese language....
' population since that time has increased such that it is the largest town in Ribagorza and has consequently evolved into the role of administrative county seat. Despite this, Benabarre continues to be a significant historical and cultural center of attraction.
Demographics
In 1991, Benabarre's population was at 1,233, and has since declined to 1,112, as of 2004.Language
Situated within the geo-linguistic area of La FranjaLa Franja
La Franja is a term that refers to the Catalan-speaking territories of Aragon bordering Catalonia, in Spain. It literally means "the strip" and can also more properly be called Franja d'Aragó or Franja de Ponent in Catalan ....
, Benabarre's local dialect of Ribagorçan
Ribagorçan
Ribagorçan is the name given to a number of Romance dialects spoken in the modern territories of the medieval County of Ribagorza, in northern Spain...
is a form of Catalan
Catalan language
Catalan is a Romance language, the national and only official language of Andorra and a co-official language in the Spanish autonomous communities of Catalonia, the Balearic Islands and Valencian Community, where it is known as Valencian , as well as in the city of Alghero, on the Italian island...
.