Graus
Encyclopedia
Graus (ˈgɾaus, ˈgɾaws) 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.
The Battle of Graus
took place here, and Spanish
philosopher Baltasar Gracián y Morales was exiled here. During the Spanish Civil War
, the village of Graus served as a fairly important local commercial center with 2,600 inhabitants around 1936. It was a libertarian stronghold and a centre of collectivization at that time.
There are also uninhabited villages: Bafaluy, Cancer, Erdao, Fantova, Grustán, Pano and Torruella de Aragón.
as is evidenced by the remains found at the site of "Las Forcas" close to the Morral Rock.
Being one the northernmost points of the Islam in Spain, Graus was reconquered by the Christians in 1083 by Sancho Ramirez in the Battle of Graus
, after the death of Ramiro I in 1064 in the siege of Graus. After this battle, Graus was ceded to the monastery of St. Victorian of Asan
, being responsible for rebuilding and repopulate the town, giving important privileges to those who populate Graus.
In 1223, Peter II of Aragon
granted the town with the title of "Very Noble and Very Old Village of Graus", which retains today.
In 1415 the Dominican
friar (lately canonized) St. Vincent Ferrer
visited the village being invited by Berenguer de Bardaxi. Both were commissioners three years earlier in Caspe, resolving the problem of succession of the Crown of Aragon
. The Valencian saint was preaching here with great success, giving in appreciation of all done by the town a crucifix which is preserved and venerated in the local church. The main festivities of the town are dedicated to Vincent Ferrer
and the Holy Christ, celebrating that visit and his appreciated donation.
Centuries later, in 1588, Philip II of Spain
set a weekly market every Monday that has lasted until now. Lately, in 1681 Charles II of Spain
added the Santa Lucia fair every May.
In the XVI and XVII centuries, the town enjoys an economic splendor, that helps the village the construction of great mansions, most of them still compose the awesome Main Square of the town and other places of the village. In these centuries is also built the most important monument of the town, the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rock.
In the decade of 1920, Graus incorporates the towns of Barasona and Benavente de Aragón. In the decade of 1960, Graus incorporates the towns of Aguinalíu, Panillo, Puebla de Fantova and Torruella de Aragon. And finally, in the decade of 1970, the village absorbs the towns of Chuseu, Güell and Torres de Chuseu.
, one of the delicacies of this region and awarded with the brand "Q for Quality" in Aragon. Its importance is emphasized each year with the celebration of the "Longaniza Day", the last weekend of July.
The "chireta" is a typical dish of this region of Aragon, which is made up of lamb guts stuffed with rice and meat. Finally the guts are sewn and then boiled.
Graus is also known for be one of the largest black truffle markets nationwide.
Provinces of Spain
Spain and its autonomous communities are divided into fifty provinces .In other languages of Spain:*Catalan/Valencian , sing. província.*Galician , sing. provincia.*Basque |Galicia]] — are not also the capitals of provinces...
of Huesca
Huesca (province)
Huesca , officially Huesca/Uesca, is a province of northeastern Spain, in northern Aragon. The capital is Huesca.Positioned just south of the central Pyrenees, Huesca borders France and the French Departments of Pyrénées-Atlantiques and Hautes-Pyrénées...
, located in the Pyrenees
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain...
at the confluence of rivers Esera and Isabena. It is the administrative capital of the region. It is one of the areas of Aragon
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...
in which is still preserved the Aragonese
Aragonese language
Aragonese is a Romance language now spoken in a number of local varieties by between 10,000 and 30,000 people over the valleys of the Aragón River, Sobrarbe and Ribagorza in Aragon, Spain...
language.
The Battle of Graus
Battle of Graus
The Battle of Graus was a battle of the Reconquista, traditionally said to have taken place on 8 May 1063. Antonio Ubieto Arteta, in his Historia de Aragón, re-dated the battle to 1069. The late twelfth-century Chronica naierensis dates the encounter to 1070...
took place here, and Spanish
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...
philosopher Baltasar Gracián y Morales was exiled here. During the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
, the village of Graus served as a fairly important local commercial center with 2,600 inhabitants around 1936. It was a libertarian stronghold and a centre of collectivization at that time.
Geography
The municipality of Graus today includes the towns of: Abenozas, Aguilar, Aguinalíu, Bellestar, Benavente Aragon, Castarlenas, Centenera, Eixep, Güel, Chuseu, Panillo, La Puebla de Fantova, La Puebla del Mon, Pueyo de Marguillén, El Soler, Torres de Esera, Torre de Obato, Torrelabad, Torres del Obispo and Las Ventas de Santa Lucía.There are also uninhabited villages: Bafaluy, Cancer, Erdao, Fantova, Grustán, Pano and Torruella de Aragón.
History
The first population in Graus is dated from the PaleolithicPaleolithic
The Paleolithic Age, Era or Period, is a prehistoric period of human history distinguished by the development of the most primitive stone tools discovered , and covers roughly 99% of human technological prehistory...
as is evidenced by the remains found at the site of "Las Forcas" close to the Morral Rock.
Being one the northernmost points of the Islam in Spain, Graus was reconquered by the Christians in 1083 by Sancho Ramirez in the Battle of Graus
Battle of Graus
The Battle of Graus was a battle of the Reconquista, traditionally said to have taken place on 8 May 1063. Antonio Ubieto Arteta, in his Historia de Aragón, re-dated the battle to 1069. The late twelfth-century Chronica naierensis dates the encounter to 1070...
, after the death of Ramiro I in 1064 in the siege of Graus. After this battle, Graus was ceded to the monastery of St. Victorian of Asan
Victorian of Asan
Saint Victorian of Asan was a Spanish saint. A native of Italy, he founded monasteries and hospices there before settling briefly in France.He became the founder and abbot of the monastery of Asan...
, being responsible for rebuilding and repopulate the town, giving important privileges to those who populate Graus.
In 1223, Peter II of Aragon
Peter II of Aragon
Peter II the Catholic was the King of Aragon and Count of Barcelona from 1196 to 1213.He was the son of Alfonso II of Aragon and Sancha of Castile...
granted the town with the title of "Very Noble and Very Old Village of Graus", which retains today.
In 1415 the Dominican
Dominican Order
The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
friar (lately canonized) St. Vincent Ferrer
Vincent Ferrer
Saint Vincent Ferrer was a Valencian Dominican missionary and logician.-Early life:Vincent was the fourth child of the Anglo-Scottish nobleman William Stewart Ferrer and his Spanish wife, Constantia Miguel. Legends surround his birth...
visited the village being invited by Berenguer de Bardaxi. Both were commissioners three years earlier in Caspe, resolving the problem of succession of the Crown of Aragon
Crown of Aragon
The Crown of Aragon Corona d'Aragón Corona d'Aragó Corona Aragonum controlling a large portion of the present-day eastern Spain and southeastern France, as well as some of the major islands and mainland possessions stretching across the Mediterranean as far as Greece...
. The Valencian saint was preaching here with great success, giving in appreciation of all done by the town a crucifix which is preserved and venerated in the local church. The main festivities of the town are dedicated to Vincent Ferrer
Vincent Ferrer
Saint Vincent Ferrer was a Valencian Dominican missionary and logician.-Early life:Vincent was the fourth child of the Anglo-Scottish nobleman William Stewart Ferrer and his Spanish wife, Constantia Miguel. Legends surround his birth...
and the Holy Christ, celebrating that visit and his appreciated donation.
Centuries later, in 1588, Philip II of Spain
Philip II of Spain
Philip II was King of Spain, Portugal, Naples, Sicily, and, while married to Mary I, King of England and Ireland. He was lord of the Seventeen Provinces from 1556 until 1581, holding various titles for the individual territories such as duke or count....
set a weekly market every Monday that has lasted until now. Lately, in 1681 Charles II of Spain
Charles II of Spain
Charles II was the last Habsburg King of Spain and the ruler of large parts of Italy, the Spanish territories in the Southern Low Countries, and Spain's overseas Empire, stretching from the Americas to the Spanish East Indies...
added the Santa Lucia fair every May.
In the XVI and XVII centuries, the town enjoys an economic splendor, that helps the village the construction of great mansions, most of them still compose the awesome Main Square of the town and other places of the village. In these centuries is also built the most important monument of the town, the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rock.
In the decade of 1920, Graus incorporates the towns of Barasona and Benavente de Aragón. In the decade of 1960, Graus incorporates the towns of Aguinalíu, Panillo, Puebla de Fantova and Torruella de Aragon. And finally, in the decade of 1970, the village absorbs the towns of Chuseu, Güell and Torres de Chuseu.
Culture
- Baile de las Espadas (Swords Dance). This dance has a structure consisting of three different musical fragments, known as "Cardelina", "Taninaná" and "Culebreta" (Small Snake). It is danced by five groups with a total of twenty dancers and two "repatanes". Dressed in different outfits, the most striking is that used by the middle frame, whose dancers wears pompous lace, stockings, gloves, necklaces and flowered hats. The explanation for this costume can be found in trying to incorporate the feminine element in a male dance that, originally, was in honour of strength, virility and fertility.
- Baile de las Cintas. It is more modern than the previous one, because his music is a traditional grausina polka introduced in the second half of the nineteenth century and is played with orchestra. This polka was played on bagpipes before, and was known as "the old polka". The dancers dance holding a ribbons around a large pole decorated with ribbons and flowers, representing an ancestral fertility celebration. Previously, it was only danced by men until the sixties of the twentieth century, when mixed pairs were introduced and it was expanded from four to eight pairs, all dressed in the typical costume of Graus.
- La Mojiganga. Is is a satirical and burlesque show performed every September 13th, that performs a detailed review of what happened in the town during the year. His transgressor character caused many interruptions of this popular show: from 1809 to 1813 due to the French invasion, from 1834 to 1838 due to poor harvests and famine, and the longest, since the government of Primo de Rivera and until its restoration in 1979. In the parade that precedes the Mojiganga, it still retains some of its medieval origins, as the "estafermo" and the "tarasca", medieval mobile dolls that clear the passage of the Mojiganga court.
- La Llega. It is used to collect donations for the activities of the Confraternity of the Holy Christ, and runs through the village, dancing to the sound of bagpipes and blunderbusses with large wood sticks. During the "Llega" it is shared "el cordoné", a small hallowed ribbon that most of the population wears tied round the wrist.
- Las Albadas. They are songs that are sung through the streets of the town by night, dating from Moorish times, and tell stories of love and glorification of popular characters of the village.
- El Llibré. In order to have all the information of the popular festivals in Graus, each year is published "el llibré" (little book in Graus AragoneseGraus Aragonese- External links :*.*...
), which reflects the program of the festivals, poems, stories and texts, most of them written in Graus AragoneseGraus Aragonese- External links :*.*...
.
Celebrations
- Town Festival, September 12th to 15th, in honor of Holly Christ and Saint Vicent Ferrer. This festival is declared "National Touristic Interest" mainly for they rich and varied traditions: one of the best preserved bagpipe tune and dance ("Baile de las Espadas", "Swords Dance") in Aragon, along with the traditional giants and "cabezudos" (big heads), blunderbusses, "Albada songs" and one of the best preserved mojigangaMojigangaMojiganga is a Spanish entertainment form of theatrical performance that mixes the entremés, dance and music. It comes from the "boxiganga" of the 17th Century, from the Spanish popular culture and from the medieval theater. Chroniclers, like Father Bartolomé de las Casas, referred to the mojiganga...
in Spain called "La Mojiganga". - "La Fiesta de la longanizaLonganizaLonganiza is a Spanish sausage similar to a chorizo and also closely associated with the Portuguese linguiça. Its defining characteristics are interpreted differently from region to region...
" (Festival of the Longaniza, a typical local dish). Each year, the last weekend of July is prepared the world's largest barbeque with 1100 kg of longaniza since 1997 .
Gastronomy
The most known dish in Graus is the longanizaLonganiza
Longaniza is a Spanish sausage similar to a chorizo and also closely associated with the Portuguese linguiça. Its defining characteristics are interpreted differently from region to region...
, one of the delicacies of this region and awarded with the brand "Q for Quality" in Aragon. Its importance is emphasized each year with the celebration of the "Longaniza Day", the last weekend of July.
The "chireta" is a typical dish of this region of Aragon, which is made up of lamb guts stuffed with rice and meat. Finally the guts are sewn and then boiled.
Graus is also known for be one of the largest black truffle markets nationwide.
Notable People
- Joaquin CostaJoaquin CostaJoaquin Costa was a Spanish politician, lawyer, economist and historian....
(1846-1911): politician, jurist and economist. Although Joaquín Costa was born in Monzón, he lived most of his life in Graus. He was known publicly as "The Lion of Graus". - Eusebio Bardají Azara (1776-1842): lawyer, diplomat and politician.
- José Salamero Martínez (1835-1895): cleric.