Pola de Allande (Principado de Asturias) (0)

Did you know that... Pola de Allande

It is located in the interior area of western Asturias, in the valley of the river Nison that crosses the town, and very close to it is Ferroy, which with the category of place is the first village in allandes through which passes the Primitive Way on its course to Santiago. In Pola de Allande we find megalithic architecture, military culture, Roman presence accredited by the remains of the gold mines visible in the area, giving us an idea of the antiquity of the population settlements that existed in the place. After a dark period in which it is believed that first the Suevi and later the Visigoths were here, there are already written references between the 10th and 11th centuries, when the monastic nuclei began to make their dominion and influence felt.

A little more history

La Puela was founded as such in the thirteenth century and focused on it the administration, both political and economic territory, with a Charter Puebla with special rights and freedoms for its inhabitants, originated at their request and in the service of the king and lord, a rare Puebla Charter mixed, royal and lordly. Pola de Allande later became the possession of the Álvarez de las Asturias or the Quiñones and was later bought by the Counts of Peñalba; this 15th century stage is represented in the palace of Cienfuegos and the power it displays in the territory. In 1569, a local general assembly tried to put an end to the abuses of the lords of the House of Cienfuegos. In 1658, the feudal lords were sued again, alleging that all Asturias belonged to the crown and not to the local lordship. A few years later they denounced the Count before the Treasury Council, who was acquitted in the year 1742. Two years later the dominion of the Cienfuegos is recognized and the council is condemned to "perpetual silence". This stately dependence did not see its end until the Constitution of Cadiz of 1812.

To discover What to see in Pola de Allande?

The urban landscape of Pola de Allande is made up of beautiful 19th and 20th century Indiano mansions, the result of the return of immigrants who brought economic and social development to the village, and the Cienfuegos Palace located in a hillock, always vigilant since its origin in the 15th century, although it has been remodelled. At the top is also the sanctuary of Nuestra Señora del Avellano, patron saint of La Puela. The parish church of San Andrés was ordered to be built by the Counts of Peñalba in the sixteenth century, for which they demolished the old medieval church that could date from before the twelfth century. The town hall also has a certain Indiano importance, it dates back to 1907. A walk through the park of El Toral, which guards the Monument to the Emigrant, and after having travelled through this affable village, what better than enjoying its rich gastronomy, a good cabbage pot, a cabbage stuffed with veal ... all of this irrigated with a local wine and brandies.

Festivities

In Pola de Allande Nuestra Señora del Avellano, patron saint of the council and the town, is celebrated on 8 September.

Traditions

According to tradition, on the day Nuestra Señora la Virgen del Avellano (Our Lady of the Hazelnut) is celebrated, the image of the Virgin is taken down in procession to the church of San Andrés and after different acts and events it is taken back to its sanctuary. This is followed by the traditional Descarga del Avellano (Hazelnut Unloading), while voladores (flyers) and rockets flood the local sky. This hazelnut festival coincides, of course, with the gathering of the hazelnuts, so it is not surprising that most of the tables taste the delicious and traditional hazelnut cake.

Curiosities

That which relates the hazelnut to the divine is an ancestral belief. The Celts and other ancient peoples attributed supernatural powers to these trees, the rods made with their branches frightened evil, cured reptile bites, and through them treasures were found, and above all water, even destroyed enchantments. Enthroned with wisdom and by its symbolism, it is not surprising that sanctuaries and altars were located on its side, which later Christianization exchanged for hermitages and chapels dedicated to virgins that appeared in them.

The Legend

It is said that many years ago a pilgrim arrived in the village who, during his Jacobean journey, went through a multitude of hardships and who arrived here prostrate and very ill. Attended by those who at that time were responsible for trying to heal diseases, barbers, priests, herbalists ... The poor man was on the verge of being medically evicted when, as luck would have it, a friar from the nearby monastery of Obona arrived in the locality who had the custom and devotion to come and pray at the hermitage of the Virgin of Avellano. The friar then learned about the case of the battered pilgrim whom he took under his care while entrusting it to the Virgin and in the eyes of everyone there was the healing of this man who, eternally grateful, promised to pray every day a Salve to such a great Lady.