Archidona

What to See in Archidona

Archidona’s generous artistic and historic heritage-a dozen interesting monuments-is certainly the result of its long and hectic history. This legacy might have been much greater if almost systematic destruction had not been the rule with the victory of one civilization over another. Nevertheless, the urban district of this community offers the visitor a conglomerate of religious and secular structures that testify to a past that is both rich and complex.

It may seem paradoxical, but the most representative monument of Archidona is not actually one of the oldest, since its construction dates from 1786. This is, of course, its famous Plaza Ochavada, a work by the local master builders Antonio González Sevillano and Francisco Astorga Frías. Its design, octagonal in shape, is the result of a tasteful combination of French urbanism and Moorish brickwork, which stands out above the whitewash on the walls.

The Las Mínimas convent, of the Order of San Francisco de Paula, was constructed in the mid-sixteenth century but the church is from the eighteenth. It has a beautiful baroque façade and a slender polygonal red brick tower with a polychrome ceramic spire. For its part, the La Victoria church, also from the sixteenth century, has a balanced Mannerist façade crowned by a brick belfry, this material being very much used in construction during that era.

The La Cilla building is also located on the same La Victoria plaza as the aforementioned La Victoria church. It is occupied at this time by the Town Hall. Although the basic structure is from the sixteenth century its stone façade is baroque, as are the ducal coats of arms that flank it. The building was first intended to hold crops but after being re-modelled it was converted into the Casa Consistorial (Town Hall).

The most unusual of Archidona’s three hermitages is that of Nuestra Señora de Gracia, since the Arab mosque used to stand in the place it occupies, and it was consecrated some time later as a Christian church. Its main historical and artistic interest lies in the fact that some features of the former mosque remain, such as the configuration of the interior spaces and some of its columns.

The eighteenth century San Antonio hermitage in El Egido is a typical religious structure in the popular tradition, with a simple white façade and a belfry. The El Nazareno hermitage is from the late seventeenth century. It is attached to the former Escolapios boarding school that today is a preparatory school. In the hermitage is venerated a figure by the sixteenth century Granadino school of the Nazarene, patron saint of Archidona.

The San Ana church was the first religious structure (1505) erected in the so-called Villa Baja (Lower Village). It consists of a single nave and in it still can be seen traces of features of late Gothic, the style in which it was designed. The profuse decoration of the large eighteenth century altarpiece reminds one of that of the Del Carmen church in Antequera. The church underwent various modifications in the nineteenth century that did no harm to its basic architecture, whose exterior is noteworthy for its original triangular tower.

In 1531 the Count of Ureña founded the old Santo Domingo convent, a voluminous structure built around a large square central courtyard, along one of whose sides the church is located. This religious community was preeminent in the spiritual environment of Archidona until it was obliged to leave by the arrival of Mendizábal. After many years of not being used for any purpose it has recently been restored to house the Hotel Escuela Convento Santo Domingo (School and Convent Hotel of Santo Domingo).

Using as a base the ruins of the Roman walls, in which can be seen Carthaginian and even Phoenician features, the Arabs gave the final shape to a fortress that originally consisted of three belts of defences, of which only two remain standing. The old medieval castle sits on one side of the mountain, as the other is a practically inaccessible cliff. The construction, or more properly speaking the extension, was begun by the Arabs in the ninth century. The first Nasrid king rebuilt the fortress in the thirteenth century and very few features were added later. The castle’s setting commands the best view of the village and its surroundings.

Archidona’s Fiestas and Gastronomy

It is during the Semana Santa (Holy Week) celebration that Archidona outdoes itself; not for nothing is this a tradition with 500 years of history. From Palm Sunday until Resurrection Sunday the brotherhoods march through the streets of the old quarter to the Plaza Ochavada, where the thrones and statues (some of them of true artistic merit) reach their greatest splendour. To the processional marches Archidona adds other rituals whose origins are hard to pinpoint but without which the Semana Santa could not be imagined. Such is the case with "La embajá del ángel" ("The descent of the angel"), enacted by a child dressed as a little angel who announces the Passion of Christ from the balcony of the La Victoria church.

During Lent, a period of preparation for Easter, beginning on Ash Wednesday, a series of events are held in Archidona: the local religious fraternities organise talks, concerts, round tables, exhibitions of photographs, drawings, etc.; the poster for Holy Week is shown for the first time in this period, and the magazine "Los Campanilleros," a publication of the fraternities from Archidona is launched. In addition, there are "saetas" and music competitions in which music bands and groups take part.

The patroness fiestas honouring the Virgen de Gracia (Virgin of Grace) are held from 14 to 19 August. As well as a full cultural and entertainment programme, this fiesta includes a pilgrimage to the sanctuary of the Virgin, located in the highest part of the village.

The Feria del Perro (Dog Show) has been designated as of National Tourist Interest and has achieved an enormous popularity. It is attended by lovers of the canine world from every corner of Spain, ranging from expert hunters seeking a good specimen to people who only want to buy an animal companion. There are beauty contests, races, ball games and demonstrations of other skills by the dogs.

The first Sunday of May, Archidona holds a festival with a funny name: Día de la Oruga (Caterpillar’s Day). The name refers to the power of the Virgen de Gracia, a Virgin who in 1743 managed to exterminate a population of caterpillars that had invaded the fields. On that special day, the statue of the Virgin is carried on a procession along the edge of the castle’s walls.

On 3 February, children honour St. Blaise so that the saint protects them against throat sore. They make necklaces threading doughnuts and then put them on. Interestingly, in the interior of the Church of la Victoria, there is a statue of the Saint wearing one of this peculiar necklaces.

Since 1598, Archidona has held Las Candelarias, a festival that is all about purifying fire. Archidoneses bring a cake and two pigeons as an offering to the altar dedicated to Virgen de la Candelaria. The Virgin’s candles are taken to the parish church’s front courtyard and a bonfire is lit there.

The May Crosses fiesta, on 3 May, is very popular with Archidoneses. The children from the town play the leading role. They carry little floats featuring homemade crafts, designs and ornaments. This fiesta is based, precisely, on children’s spontaneity.

On 5 January, during the popular Three Kings’ Cavalcade, children walk along the streets dragging old tin cans tied to multiple strings (the number of cans amount to as many as 7,000!). It is a way to draw the attention of the Wise Men of the East, who will thus remember they have to bring gifts for the little ones.

Due to its geographic proximity to Antequera it is not strange that the most typical dish in Archidona is also porra (a chilled soup), although with a taste and texture different from the porra Antequerana. Besides porra, Archidona’s cuisine presents such characteristic dishes of the region as cazuela moruna (Moorish casserole), olla (a thick stew) and guisado de papas (stewed potatoes), to which might be added gazpacho and ajoblanco (chilled soups) and pimentón (paprika), which rival maimón (an Andalusian soup with olive oil), papandujas de bacalao (a codfish dish) and escabeche de pescado (a fish sauce with spices, olive oil and vinegar) in popularity. As for sweets and confectionery, Archidona offers the rosco de medio punto (a semicircular pastry), aceitaos, bollos de manteca (a kind of bun) and gachas de mosto (a kind of soup made from flour and seasonings, to which wine is added).

More Information About Archidona

Nature in Archidona

The municipality of Archidona has received gifts from nature in the form of a number of sites of supreme ecological and scenic interest that are also suitable for alternative tourism. A visit to them is to be recommended because they constitute a magnificent complement to the village’s wealth of monuments.

South of the town centre, in the direction of Villanueva del Trabuco, a road forks off and leads to Hoz del arroyo Marín. (Gorge of the Marín Stream) In just a few metres, the landscape changes radically and the visitor finds himself in the midst of an area of tangled vegetation that climbs up almost vertical rock walls. A little farther in one begins to hear the sound of water, giving the sensation of being in a place difficult to relate to surroundings tamed by the hand of man.

Less surprising, but comparable in beauty to Hoz del arroyo Marín is the Reserva Natural de la Laguna de Archidona (Lake of Archidona Nature Reserve), which is in reality two lakes, Laguna Grande and Laguna Chica. The former measures some 500 metres at its fullest and around 250 at its lowest, with a depth of 10 metres. Less than a kilometre away and at a difference of 20 metres in altitude is the Laguna Chica, measuring 650 and 170 metres in its high and low stages, respectively. Both lakes hold water throughout the year and the area is protected by an evergreen oak forest that encourages the presence of various species of birds.