Editing Astorga, Spain

{{more footnotes|date=March 2013}}
{{expand Spanish|date=March 2016|topic=geo}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name                    = Astorga
| settlement_type         = [[Municipalities of Spain|Municipality]]
| official_name           = <!-- if different from name -->
| native_name             = <!-- if different from name -->
| image_skyline           ={{Multiple image
  | perrow = 2/2/2
  | border = infobox
  | total_width = 280
  | caption_align = center
  | image1 = Astorga Cathedral Façade.jpg
  | caption1 = [[Astorga Cathedral|Cathedral of Saint Mary]]
  | image2 = Palacio Episcopal Astorga 2021 - exterior.jpg
  | caption2 = [[Episcopal Palace, Astorga|Episcopal Palace]]
  | image3 = Fachada del ayuntamiento de Astorga.jpg
  | caption3 = Town Hall
  | image4 = Asturica-Cloacas.jpeg
  | caption4 = Roman Sewers
  | image5 = Astorga muralla JMM.JPG
  | caption5 = Roman Walls
  | image6 = Sede del Museo del Chocolate de Astorga.jpg
  | caption6 = Chocolate Museum
}}
| image_alt               =
| image_caption           =
| image_flag              = Flag of Astorga Spain.svg
| image_shield            = Escudo de Astorga.svg
| nickname                =
| motto                   =
| image_map               =
| map_caption             =
| pushpin_map             = Spain
| pushpin_label_position  =
| pushpin_map_caption     = Location in Spain
| subdivision_type        = Country
| subdivision_name        = {{flag|Spain}}
| subdivision_type1       = [[Autonomous communities of Spain|Autonomous community]]
| subdivision_name1       = {{flag|Castile and León}}
| subdivision_type2       = [[Provinces of Spain|Province]]
| subdivision_name2       = [[León (province)|León]]
| subdivision_type3       = [[Comarcas of Spain|Comarca]]
| subdivision_name3       = [[La Maragatería]]
| subdivision_type4       = [[Judicial districts of Spain|Judicial district]]
| subdivision_name4       = Astorga
| seat_type               = <!-- [[Capital (political)|Capital]] -->
| seat                    =
| coordinates             = {{coord|42|27|32|N|6|3|48|W|region:ES_type:city|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates_footnotes   =
| elevation_m             = 870
| elevation_min_m         =
| elevation_max_m         =
| area_footnotes          =
| area_total_km2          = 46.78
| established_title       = 
| established_date        = 35 AD
| population_as_of        = {{Spain metadata Wikidata|population_as_of}}
|population_footnotes    =  {{Spain metadata Wikidata|population_footnotes}}
| population_total        = {{Spain metadata Wikidata|population_total}}
| population_demonym      = Astorganos
| population_note         =
| population_density_km2  = auto
| timezone                = [[Central European Time|CET]]
| utc_offset              = +1
| timezone_DST            = [[Central European Summer Time|CEST]]
| utc_offset_DST          = +2
| postal_code_type        = [[List of postal codes in Spain|Postal code]]
| postal_code             = 24700
| area_code_type          = [[Telephone numbers in Spain|Dialing code]]
| area_code               =987
| leader_title            = Mayor
| leader_name             = Victorina Alonso Fernández
| leader_party            = [[Spanish Socialist Workers' Party|PSOE]]
| blank_name_sec1         = [[Köppen climate classification|Climate]]
| blank_info_sec1         = [[Mediterranean climate#Warm-summer Mediterranean climate|Csb]]
| website                 = {{official website|http://www.ayuntamientodeastorga.com/index.htm}}
| footnotes               =
}}
'''Astorga''' ({{IPA|es|asˈtoɾɣa|lang|Pronunciation of Astorga in Spanish.ogg}}, [[Leonese language|Leonese]]: ''Estorga'') is a municipality<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://ssweb.seap.minhap.es/REL/|title=Registro de entidades locales|access-date=2018-03-01|author=Ministerio de Hacienda y Administraciones Públicas|language=es}}</ref> and city of Spain located in the central area of the [[province of León]], in the autonomous community of [[Castilla y León]], {{convert|27|mi|km|order=flip}} southwest of the provincial capital. It is located in the transit between the Páramo Leonés and the [[Montes de León|mountains of León]] and acts as the backbone of the comarcas of [[Maragatería]], La Cepeda and the Ribera del Órbigo. The city is the head of one of the most extensive and oldest dioceses of Spain, whose jurisdiction covers half of the province of León and part of Ourense and Zamora.<ref name="DAT">{{Cite web|url=http://www.diocesisastorga.es/pages/la-diF3cesis.php|title=Descripción y datos generales|access-date=2018-03-01|author=Diócesis de Astorga|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100306212542/http://www.diocesisastorga.es/pages/la-diF3cesis.php|archive-date=2010-03-06|language=es}}</ref> It is also head of the judicial party number 5 of the province of León.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cgpe.es/partido.aspx?idprovincia=24&numpartido=5|title=Partido judicial n.º 5 de León|access-date=2018-03-01|author=Consejo General de Procuradores de España|language=es|archive-date=2015-09-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923202425/http://www.cgpe.es/partido.aspx?idprovincia=24&numpartido=5|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Astorga lies in the area of the [[Maragato]]s, a small ethnic and cultural community with distinctive customs and architecture. The town lies at the junction of the [[The French Way|French route]] of the Camino de Santiago, the most popular route, and the [[Vía de la Plata|Silver Route]] from Mérida in southern Spain, an alternative route of the [[Way of St. James]] ({{langx|es|Camino de Santiago}}). [[Saint Turibius of Astorga]] was bishop of the city in the 5th century.

== History ==
=== Pre History ===
The timeline of history that includes Astorga has artifactual evidence stretching back over 200,000 years, predating the [[Paleolithic]].{{Citation needed|date=April 2025}} {{convert|130|mi|km|order=flip|abbr=on}} away from Astorga in the [[Atapuerca Mountains]] (''Sierra de Atapuerca''), exists a rich fossil record of the earliest humans in Spain.{{Citation needed|date=April 2025}} The scientific study of these remains provide priceless information about the appearance and the way these humans lived. The regional government of Castile and León has designated the site an ''Espacio cultural''.

Tin artifacts dated to c. 2750 BC using metallurgical diffusion chronologic dating were found in the area of Astorga.{{Citation needed|date=April 2025}} Artifacts such as tube and double ring axes were located in Astorga and are significant to an Atlantic cultural complex from the [[Bronze Age]] period c. 1300–700 BC that are included in the [[Castro culture|Castro]] cultures.{{Citation needed|date=April 2025}}

Astorga, in the [[Iron Age]], came under the cultural influence of the [[Celts]]; the local Celtic peoples inhabited the area around 275 BC, known as the [[Astures]] and the [[Cantabri]]. It later become one of the [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] strongholds in the region they called '''Asturica'''.

=== Roman Empire ===
[[Image:Muralla, Palacio Gaudí, Catedral de Astorga.jpg|thumb|left|The walls of the town were built at the time of [[Roman Empire|ancient Rome]].]]
During Cantabrian wars (28–19 BC), Roman legions [[Legio VI Victrix|VI Victrix]] (Sixth Victorious Legion) and [[Legio X Gemina|X Gemina]] (Tenth Twin Legion) were sent and established a [[castra]] on the Leonesian land. This castra was strategically placed between the {{ill|Jerga (river)|lt=Jerga|es|Río Jerga}} and {{ill|Tuerto (river)|lt=Tuerto|es|Río Tuerto}} rivers. The castra was important because of Astures revolutions (22 BC) and proximity to gold mines of [[Las Médulas|Las Medulas]].

After the [[Punic Wars]] in 146 BC, the Romans turned their attention to conquering [[Hispania]]. The tribe of the [[Gallaeci]] 60,000 strong, according to [[Paulus Orosius]],{{Citation needed|date=April 2025}} faced the Roman forces led by [[Decimus Junius Brutus Callaicus]] in 137 BC in a battle at the [[River Douro]].{{Citation needed|date=April 2025}} From this time, Gallaic fighters joined the [[Roman legion]]s, to serve as far away as Dacia and Britain. The final extinction of [[Celts|Celtic]] resistance was the aim of the violent and ruthless [[Cantabrian Wars]] fought under the [[Augustus|Emperor Augustus]] from 28 to 19 BC.

The [[Asturica Augusta|Roman city]] was founded in 14 BC, being entitled by Emperor [[Octavian]] as '''Asturica Augusta''' now known as Astorga.<ref>{{cite book|title=Studies of Roman Imperialism|publisher=University Press|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.533478|page=[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.533478/page/n398 260]|last1=Arnold|first1=William Thomas|last2=Humphry Ward|first2=Mrs|last3=Montague|first3=Charles Edward|year=1906}}</ref> It became an important administrative and military centre. The Roman walls were rebuilt by Bishop Nuño around 1242 and they underwent several repairs during the Middle Ages. The city had thermal baths with hot, warm, cold water systems, sauna's and two main sewer system still in use today. Ruins of Roman baths are still visible today. In 35&nbsp;AD as mining plans developed, this Roman Hispania castra was redesigned and built with the help of the army, into a city. A provincial capital, and the meeting-place of four military roads. Vía de la Plata (Silver Way) or [[Vía de la Plata|Ruta de la Plata]] (Silver Route) is an ancient commercial and pilgrimage path that connects Astorga to Mérida. It was conceived and built as a trade route for the exploitation of gold. The Roman causeway allowed the Romans to conquer tribes such as the Callaici, the Astures, and the [[Vaccaei|Vacceos]]. [[Pliny the Elder]] in 73&nbsp;AD spoke of Vía de la Plata. The road stretched around {{convert|560|mi|km|order=flip|abbr=on}} and the Roman's highest importance for he gold mines of [[Las Médulas]] and the copper mines of [[Rio Tinto (river)|Rio Tinto]].

Asturica was the main city in northwest Spain during the Roman Empire. [[Pliny the Elder|Plinius]] Roman author, naturalist, and natural philosopher, as well as naval and army commander called the city ''Urbs magnifica'' ("magnificent city"). The ''Via Platea'' went from Asturica (Astorga) to Emerita (Mérida). One of the first three bishoprics in Spain was founded in Astorga, known as the [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Astorga]]. The title of [[Bishop of Astorga]] is one of the oldest religious charges of Europe.

=== Visigothic Kingdom ===
Astorga was sacked by the Visigothic King [[Theodoric II]] sometime during time of his rule. On 5 October 456, at the Battle at the Campus Paramus, {{convert|12|mi|km|order=flip|abbr=on}} from Astorga on the Urbicus ([[Órbigo]]), Theoderic II, Eighth Visigoth King from 453 to 466 AD, lead an army into Spain and defeated [[Rechiar]], Suebic King of Galicia from 488 to 12/456. During the waves of invasion of the peninsula by the [[Germanic peoples|Germanic tribes]], one bishop was the noted [[Turibius of Astorga|Turibius]]. He documented the conversion of the [[Kingdom of the Suebi|Suebic]] King [[Remismund]] to Arianism, and worked to restore the churches destroyed by the [[Visigoths]]. The bishop was able to travel to Rome, from which he brought back what is believed to be a relic of the [[True Cross]], for which he founded the Monastery of [[Santo Toribio de Liébana]], where it is still preserved. Because Romans had control of the city, [[Christianity]] became very popular in this area during the early church. There is a legend that [[James the Great|St. James]] (Santiago) and [[St. Paul]] both preached in Astorga and there is proof that there was a bishopric around the 3rd century. At the very beginning of Leo I's pontificate, in the years 444–447, [[Turibius of Astorga|Turibius]], the bishop of Astorga in León, sent to Rome a memorandum warning that Priscillianism was by no means dead, reporting that it numbered even bishops among its supporters, and asking the aid of the Roman See. The distance was insurmountable in the 5th century. Germanic tribes, the Visigoths, took control over Astorga and destroyed the Roman city. However, it prospered with the help of Saints [[Turibius of Astorga|Turibius]], Fructuosus, and Valerius.

=== Reconquista ===
[[File:Astorga Cathedral Façade.jpg|thumb|left|[[Astorga Cathedral|Cathedral of Astorga]].]]
After the [[Berber people|Berbers]]' withdrawal to join the blazing Berber rebellion (739–742) and the campaigns of [[Alfonso I of Asturias]] (742 – 757) against the [[al-Andalus|Andalusians]], the city was abandoned, being 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 a major stop on the French route for the pilgrims to the tomb of Saint James in [[Santiago de Compostela]]. Construction of the cathedral began in the 15th century and finished in the late 18th century.

Jews were living in the fortified section of Astorga as early as the 11th century. Later they inhabited two quarters in the city. A street called the Garden (Paseo) of the Synagogue formerly ran beside the old city wall. Many Jews in Astorga were forcibly converted to Christianity in 1230–31. Although there is no record of the fate of the Jews of Astorga during the 1391 massacres, they suffered in the persecutions of 1412. At the [[synod]] held in [[Valladolid]] in 1432, the Astorga community claimed privileges exempting them from payment of crown taxes. The community existed until the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492. Jews established their trades in the city. To this day, Astorga is the home of value-adding and special products.<ref>{{cite web |title=Astorga, Spain |url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/astorga |website=Jewish Virtual Library |access-date=25 June 2024}}</ref>

=== Modern Age ===
[[File:AyuntamientoAstorga.jpg|thumb|240px|Town hall of Astorga.]]In 1528 [[Hernán Cortés]] brought Mexican [[Cacao bean]] to Spain. In the museum of [[chocolate]] in Astorga, 16th-century hot chocolate mugs are displayed. One sees Astorga chocolate all over the region. The Marquisate of Astorga, the Diocese and the Maragato muleteers made Astorga a pioneer in the elaboration of chocolate from the 17th century. In 1914 there were 49 chocolate manufacturers in town.

In 1747 Antonio Martín's book contains the recipe [[Mantecadas]] de Astorga (a mantecada is a muffin-sized cake similar to [[pound cake]] French madeleine cakes). The European Union designated them an historically and geographically significant part of Spanish [[cuisine]]. References indicating that the recipe originated with a nun from the [[Holy Spirit Convent]] in Astorga, who later left the convent and popularized the product. In the [[Official Journal of the European Union]] UNE-EN 45011 Regulatory Board, through the Certification Committee, established standards for Mantecadas de Astorga. Astorga's Chamber of Commerce reports the amount of mantecadas de Astorga carried by the Spanish railways in 1930 (the Spanish Northern and Western railway company) was 208 tons. A high percentage of the product is sold to tourists along with the well known Hojaldres de Astorga ([[puff pastry]] of Astorga).

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. The Siege of Astorga in 21 March – 22 April 1810 was an attempt by French forces to capture Astorga, Spain, in a campaign of the Peninsular War. Astorga was located on the flank of the French invasion of Spain and Portugal, and was meant to be used as a headquarters during the campaign.

Because of its location, Astorga was a place for [[pilgrim]]s to rest and get ready to climb the mountains in the west or to rejuvenate after climbing east. Astorga had 21 hospices. Today, there is the [[Hospital de las Hermana de la Caridad]] which is a medical facility in front of the cathedral that was built after the destruction of the 12th-century hospital that was consequently destroyed in 1756.

Camino de Santiago ("St. James's Way") is a {{convert|485|mi|km|order=flip|abbr=on}} pilgrimage to the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela where the remains of the apostle Saint James are buried. This has been the third-largest pilgrimage in Christianity for more than 1,000 years, and it comprises a stop in Astorga. The movie [[The Way (2010 film)|''The Way'']] is an inspirational film of 2010 starring [[Martin Sheen]] and [[Emilio Estevez]] walking the [[Camino de Santiago]].

During the second half of the 19th century, Astorga enjoyed the arrival of the railway and development of the current city, which expands outside its Roman walls. Astorga is again the nexus of a significant network of road connections, and it recovered the social and economical vibrancy, which has tourism as one of its main focal points.

==Attractions==
[[File:Palacio Episcopal Astorga 2021 - exterior.jpg|thumb|Episcopal Palace of Astorga.]]
* [[Astorga Cathedral|Catedral de Santa María de Astorga]]
* 19th-century [[Astorga Episcopal Palace|Episcopal Palace]] (''Palacio Episcopal''), designed by [[Antoni Gaudí]].
* Town Hall, construction started in 1683. It is a Baroque edifice with three towers in its façade, the middle one including the bells.
* Roman archaeological remains, including those of the original military camp, the [[sanitary sewer|sewers]], two baths (late 1st and 3rd century AD), remains of the forum and several mosaics.
* Roman museum ("La Ergastula").
* Remains of the ancient city walls.
* Chocolate museum.

==Events==
* Last week in August:{{When|date=April 2025}} [[Festividad de Santa Marta]] includes bullfights & fireworks.

==Notable people==
* [[Miguel Arias Bardou]] (1841–1915) - painter{{Citation needed|date=April 2025}}
* [[José Aragón Escacena]] (1891-1945) - writer{{Citation needed|date=April 2025}}

==Twin towns==
* {{flagicon|FRA}} [[Moissac]], France
* {{flagicon|ESP}} [[Clavijo]], Spain
* {{flagicon|PRT}} [[Braga]], Portugal
* {{flagicon|ESP}} [[Reus]], Spain

== See also ==
* [[Kingdom of León]]
* [[La Maragatería]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{Commons category-inline|Astorga}}
* {{Wikisource-inline|list=
** {{CathEncy|wstitle=Diocese of Astorga|short=x|noicon=x}}
** {{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Astorga|short=x|noicon=x}}
** {{Cite NIE|wstitle=Astorga|short=x|noicon=x}}
** {{Cite AmCyc|wstitle=Astorga|short=x|noicon=x}}
}}
* [https://books.google.com/books?id=krNhAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA42 Fundacion nombres y armas de la ciudad de Astorga (1635)]
* [http://astorga.co/en Astorga travel guide]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090429073321/http://www.ayuntamientodeastorga.com/ Ayuntamiento de Astorga] Astorga municipal government website {{in lang|es}}
* [http://www.maragateria.com Maragateria Page]

{{Municipalities in León}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Astorga, Spain| ]]
[[Category:Municipalities in the Province of León]]
[[Category:Maragatería]]
[[Category:Astures]]
[[Category:Roman fortifications in Hispania Tarraconensis]]
[[Category:Cultural tourism in Spain]]