Barros is one of eight

parishes (administrative divisions) A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...

in the Asturian city of

Langreo Langreo () or Llangréu () ( Asturian) is a municipality and town in northern Spain, in Asturias. It is the 4th largest town of Asturias with 43,000 inhabitants. Langreo is located in the centre of Asturias, approximately south-east of Oviedo. I ...

, a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

within the province and

autonomous community The autonomous communities () are the first-level administrative divisions of Spain, created in accordance with the Spanish Constitution of 1978, with the aim of guaranteeing limited autonomy to the nationalities and regions that make up Sp ...

Asturias Asturias (; ; ) officially the Principality of Asturias, is an autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in northwest Spain. It is coextensive with the provinces of Spain, province of Asturias and contains some of the territory t ...

, in northern

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

and a parish of the same name. It is located between the districts of Riaño and

La Felguera La Felguera is a parish of Langreo, and the most important district in the municipality of Langreo ( Principality of Asturias) in northern Spain, with 21,000 inhabitants. It is located 18 minutes by car to Oviedo, the capital of Asturias. La Fel ...

General information

The expansion of the city of Barros is due to the industries of

and the exploitation of coal, and the loss of population after the re-conversion of the mining basins to industrial industries, with a population of less than 800 today. The main street of Barros is directly connected to Pablo Picasso Street in the La Felguera area. Before the arrival of large-scale industry in Langreo, Barros had been a town inhabited since the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

and devoted to agriculture and livestock, becoming one of the centers with the highest population concentration in the council. This is confirmed by various documents, including the ceding of

Alfonso VII Alphons (Latinized ''Alphonsus'', ''Adelphonsus'', or ''Adefonsus'') is a male given name recorded from the 8th century ( Alfonso I of Asturias, r. 739–757) in the Christian successor states of the Visigothic Kingdom in the Iberian Peninsula. ...

of Alfoz de Barros to the bishopric. There are also references to the population in the dictionary of

Pascual Madoz Pascual Madoz Ibáñez (17 May 1806 – 13 December 1870) was a Spanish politician and statistician. Biography In early life Madoz was settled in Barcelona, as a writer and journalist. He envisioned the construction of the Vielha tunnel. ...

. Barros came to have three sumptuous palaces on its site: Riano, Llanes Campomanes and La Cortina. The latter has been greatly altered by 19th-century reforms, losing its tower in 1839. Antonio de Arguelles y Valdés, who was a councillor of Castile and prosecutor of the

Council of the Indies A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or nati ...

in the 17th century, lived in this house. In addition to the health clinic, Barros is home to a centre for people with neurological disabilities, which is awaiting its opening. It has the Renfe station of the

Cercanías Asturias Cercanías Asturias is a commuter rail service operating in Autonomous Community of Asturias, mainly in the central area of the region. History During the second half of the 20th century, Renfe operated several services on all the Iberian-ga ...

network, the C-2 line, and bus lines that connect

Oviedo Oviedo () or Uviéu (Asturian language, Asturian: ) is the capital city of the Principality of Asturias in northern Spain and the administrative and commercial centre of the region. It is also the name of the municipality that contains th ...

Avilés Avilés (Asturian and ;) is a town in Asturias, Spain. Avilés is, along with Oviedo and Gijón, one of the main cities in the Principality of Asturias. The town occupies the flattest land in the municipality, partially in a land that belonged ...

Gijón Gijón () or () is a city and municipality in north-western Spain. It is the largest city and Municipalities of Spain, municipality by population in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Asturias. It is located on the coa ...

and the rest of the Nalón Valley. Barros still has an old abandoned mining operation, the Pozo Barros, and within its borders is the old Nitrastor factory. The inhabitants of the parish are the Buzaricos and celebrate their festivals in honour of the

Immaculate Conception The Immaculate Conception is the doctrine that the Virgin Mary was free of original sin from the moment of her conception. It is one of the four Mariology, Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church. Debated by medieval theologians, it was not def ...

at the end of August. These festivals are organized by the local festival association.

Villages

Population

Its population is about 1,000 inhabitants, and covers an area of 2.63 km².

Feasts

Barros celebrates its feast in honor of the Immaculate Conception in August.

Facilities

In Barros, the Stephen Hawking Neurological Disability Center is being completed. Barros has a train stop for the Cercanías Asturias RENFE, from the C-2 line, and bus lines that connect to Oviedo, Avilés, Gijón and the rest of the Nalón Valley. Its inhabitants are called pozaricos. Economic development is by means of the valley and La Felguera coal extraction industries. In Barros there is still an old mine, el Pozo Barros, and its limits is the old Nitrastur Factory.

References

{{Parishes in Langreo Parishes in Langreo Langreo