Priego de Córdoba

Priego de Córdoba is a town and municipality of southern Spain in the extreme southeastern portion of the province of Córdoba, near the headwater of the Guadajoz River, and on the northern slope of the Sierra de Priego. Pop. (2002) 22,558, in 1900 it was 16,902.

The district abounds in cattle (by 2007 there were almost no cattle in the area) and mules, horses and agricultural products, especially wine and olive oil and, according to local people, late potatoes. The local industries also included tanning and manufactures of esparto fabrics, rugs and cotton goods. The oldest church was built in the 13th century and subsequently restored; it has a fine chapel. There are ruins of an, originally Moorish, castle (currently (2006) under restoration) having been a fortified city of the Moors (with the Hispano-Arabic name Baguh) which was captured by the Christians under Ferdinand III in 1225, lost again in 1327, and finally retaken in 1340 by Alfonso XI.

Some of the best examples of the Spanish Baroque are found in the numerous churches in Priego.The olive oil from Priego has been given its own denominational tag. The olive oils have recently garnered many of the most prestigious prizes in international competitions.The first President of the Second Spanish Republic, Niceto Alcala-Zamora, was from Priego.

Priego is a village found in the 'Ruta de la Califata' (trade route of the Califa).

The religious brotherhoods of Priego have a long and interesting history, some dating back to before the 1500's. The traditional displays of these brotherhoods in the religious processions of Holy Week (Semana Santa) are renowned for their grandeur and beauty.

The procession on Holy Thursday (Jueves Santo) of the Brotherhood of the Column (Jesus de la Columna), which is the oldest and most prestigious of the towns brotherhoods, and on Holy Friday (Viernes Santo) the Brotherhood of the Nazarenos, in which the procession is of a hand carried float with Christ carrying the cross. The Nazareno is carried from a church in the center of Priego to a mountain top that overlooks Priego known as the Calavario. Once there a priest comes out of the hermitage there and delivers a benediction. The population holds up pastreys, in the form of roosters or pigs, with a hard boiled egg in the center, known as 'hornazos'. After the benediction it is considered good luck for the coming year to eat the pastrey.

The oldest section of Priego is its Barrio de la Villa. It is bordered on one side by the town's natural fortress, a high cliff. The alleys that wind through this part of the town are moorish in stle, decorated proudly by the populace with flower pots and religious icons. Some homes retain the ancient tunnel system that went from their cellars (bodegas) to the castle. The view from the cliff, known as the "Adarve", is breathtakingly beautiful. It is a favorite subject for paintings. From the "Adarve" one sees an over 180° degree expanse of valley and olive grove speckled mountains known as the "Subetica".

References

*1911