Aguilar, or in full Aguilar de la Frontera, is a Spanish municipality and town in the province of Córdoba,

Andalusia Andalusia ( , ; , ) is the southernmost autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain, located in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, in southwestern Europe. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomou ...

. Aguilar is located near the river Cabra, in the hilly natural region of the Campiña de Córdoba in between the

Guadalquivir The Guadalquivir (, also , , ) is the fifth-longest river in the Iberian Peninsula and the second-longest river with its entire length in Spain. The Guadalquivir is the only major navigable river in Spain. Currently it is navigable from Seville ...

and the fringes of the Subbaetic ranges. It lies on the route ( A-45) connecting

Córdoba Córdoba most commonly refers to: * Córdoba, Spain, a major city in southern Spain and formerly the imperial capital of Islamic Spain * Córdoba, Argentina, the second largest city in Argentina and the capital of Córdoba Province Córdoba or Cord ...

and

Málaga Málaga (; ) is a Municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain, capital of the Province of Málaga, in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. With a population of 591,637 in 2024, it is the second-most populo ...

. As Ancient Ipagro, it was the seat of a bishopric. Known as Bulay in the Islamic period and possessing a fortress (''ḥiṣn'') since the 9th century, the place changed its name to Aguilar after capitulating and passing to Christian control in 1240, soon becoming the head of the first nobiliary lordship in Andalusia (thus in the

Kingdom of Córdoba The Kingdom of Córdoba (also Kingdom of Cordova; ) was a territorial jurisdiction of the Crown of Castile since 1236 until Javier de Burgos' provincial division of Spain in 1833. This was a "kingdom" ("") in the second sense given by the : the C ...

), as it was gifted by the monarch in 1257. During the late middle ages, it thrived as the head of the , under the Fernández de Córdoba. The town's 19th-century octagonal plaza stands out as an instance of neoclassical urbanism. Demographics are stagnant and, similarly to other municipalities in the area, population does not exceed the one it had in the 1960s.

History

First traces of human presence in the area date to the middle

Palaeolithic Age The Paleolithic or Palaeolithic ( years ago) ( ), also called the Old Stone Age (), is a period in human prehistory that is distinguished by the original development of stone tools, and which represents almost the entire period of human prehist ...

. The

Romans Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

captured it from the

Iberians The Iberians (, from , ''Iberes'') were an ancient people settled in the eastern and southern coasts of the Iberian Peninsula, at least from the 6th century BC. They are described in Greek and Roman sources (among others, by Hecataeus of Mil ...

during the time of the

Roman Republic The Roman Republic ( ) was the era of Ancient Rome, classical Roman civilisation beginning with Overthrow of the Roman monarchy, the overthrow of the Roman Kingdom (traditionally dated to 509 BC) and ending in 27 BC with the establis ...

and named it Ipagro, which took part in the civil war between

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in Caesar's civil wa ...

and

Pompey Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (; 29 September 106 BC – 28 September 48 BC), known in English as Pompey ( ) or Pompey the Great, was a Roman general and statesman who was prominent in the last decades of the Roman Republic. ...

, and flourished in the early Imperial Age. After the fall of the

Western Roman Empire In modern historiography, the Western Roman Empire was the western provinces of the Roman Empire, collectively, during any period in which they were administered separately from the eastern provinces by a separate, independent imperial court. ...

, it was ruled by the

Visigoth The Visigoths (; ) were a Germanic people united under the rule of a king and living within the Roman Empire during late antiquity. The Visigoths first appeared in the Balkans, as a Roman-allied barbarian military group united under the comman ...

s and, from the 8th century, by the Muslim

emirate of Córdoba An emirate is a territory ruled by an emir, a title used by monarchs or high officeholders in the Muslim world. From a historical point of view, an emirate is a political-religious unit smaller than a caliphate. It can be considered equivalen ...

, with the name of Bulay (also Pulay). In the 9th century it became the headquarters of the rebel Umar ibn Hafsun, who built extensive fortifications and reinforced the castle. However, in 891, Umar ibn Hafsun lost the town to emir

Abdallah ibn Muhammad Abd Allah (), also spelled Abdullah, Abdhullah, Abdellah, Abdollah, Abdallah, Abdulla, Abdalla and many others, is an Arabic theophoric name meaning ''servant of God'' or "God's follower". It is built from the Arabic words '' abd'' () and ''All� ...

of Córdoba. Due to its strategic position, it was contested and, after the dissolution of the

caliphate of Córdoba A caliphate ( ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with Khalifa, the title of caliph (; , ), a person considered a political–religious successor to the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a leader of ...

, it became part of the ''cora'' of Cabra. In 1240 it was conquered by the Christians, although numerous Muslims were allowed to remain. King

Peter I of Castile Peter (; 30 August 133423 March 1369), called Peter the Cruel () or the Just (), was King of Castile and León from 1350 to 1369. Peter was the last ruler of the main branch of the House of Ivrea. He was excommunicated by Pope Urban V for his ...

assigned its seigniory to Alfonso Fernandez Coronel, but later reannexed it to the crown. The town was renamed ''Aguilar'' of the Frontier due to its position on the border with the Moorish

Kingdom of Granada The Emirate of Granada, also known as the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada, was an Islamic polity in the southern Iberian Peninsula during the Late Middle Ages, ruled by the Nasrid dynasty. It was the last independent Muslim state in Western Europe. ...

. In 1370, due to the loyalty shown in the civil war, King

Henry II of Castile Henry II (13 January 1334 – 29 May 1379), called Henry of Trastámara or the Fratricidal (''el Fratricida''), was the first List of Castilian monarchs, King of Castile and List of Leonese monarchs, León from the House of Trastámara. He became ...

gave Aguilar to Gonzalo Fernandez de Cordoba, first of a dynasty who held the town until the abolition of feudalism in the 19th century. The town grew until the 1570s-1580s, after which it decayed, also due to several plague outbreaks which decimated the population, and to the shrinking level of the agriculture. During the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...

Aguilar sided with the Nationalist faction. Many of its citizens fell fighting for the nationalist cause. A cross erected in their honour was demolished in 2021 by the town hall, causing international outrage.

Ecclesiastical history

Ipagro once was a

suffragan A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Catholic Church, a suffragan bishop leads a diocese within an ecclesiastical province other than the principal diocese, the metropolitan archdiocese; the diocese led ...

bishopric of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Sevilla, survived the 8th century of advent of Islam but was suppressed. Only two bishops are historically documented : * Simagine, mentioned at the

council of Elvira The Synod of Elvira (, ) was an ecclesiastical synod held at Elvira in the Roman province of Hispania Baetica, now Granada in southern Spain.. Its date has not been exactly determined but is believed to be in the first quarter of the fourth ce ...

* Recafredo, mentioned in 839.

Titular see

The diocese was nominally restored in 1969 as Latin

Titular bishopric A titular see in various churches is an episcopal see of a former diocese that no longer functions, sometimes called a "dead diocese". The ordinary or hierarch of such a see may be styled a "titular metropolitan" (highest rank), "titular archbish ...

of Ipagro (Latin = Curiate Italian) / Epagren(sis) (Latin adjective). It has had the following incumbents, so far of the fitting Episcopal (lowest) rank: * Malcolm A. MacEachern (1970.02.24 – 1970.11.23) on emeritate as former Bishop of

Charlottetown Charlottetown is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Prince Edward Island, and the county seat of Queens County, Prince Edward Island, Queens County. Named after Queen Charlotte, Charlott ...

(

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

) (1954.11.27 – 1970.02.24); died 1982 * James Patrick Mahoney (1972.07.25 – death 2002.06.01) as

Auxiliary Bishop An auxiliary bishop is a bishop assigned to assist the diocesan bishop in meeting the pastoral and administrative needs of the diocese. Auxiliary bishops can also be titular bishops of sees that no longer exist as territorial jurisdictions. ...

Archdiocese of New York The Archdiocese of New York () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church located in the New York (state), State of New York. It encompasses the boroughs of Manhattan, the Bronx and Staten Island in New York ...

(NY, USA) (1972.07.25 – 1997.05.10) and on emeritate * Eduardo Horacio García (2003.06.21 – 2014.11.06) as Auxiliary Bishop of Archdiocese of Buenos Aires (

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

) (2003.06.21 – 2014.11.06); next Bishop of San Justo (Argentina) (2014.11.06 – ...) * Luis Javier Argüello Garcia (2016.04.14 – ...), Auxiliary Bishop of

Archdiocese of Valladolid The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Valladolid () is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in Spain, elevated from the rank of diocese in 1857.Clock Tower Clock towers are a specific type of structure that house a turret clock and have one or more clock faces on the upper exterior walls. Many clock towers are freestanding structures but they can also adjoin or be located on top of another building ...

), in Baroque style, built in 1770-74 *''Plaza de San José'', a polygonal square from 1806 with the ''Ayuntamiento '' (Town Hall). *Parish Church of ''Nuestra Señora del Soterraño'', founded in 1260 and remade in 1530 *Church of ''Cristo de la Salud'' (17th century) *Church of the ''Candelaria ''(16th century) *Church of ''Nuestra Sra. del Carmen'' (16th century) *''Ermita de la Vera Cruz '' (16th century) *Hospital of ''Santa Brigida ''(16th century) *Convent of ''San José y San Roque ''(1671). Also known as "Las Descalzas"

Economy

The olives and white wine of Aguilar are celebrated in Spain, although the wine, which somewhat resembles sherry, is known as Montilla, from the adjacent town of that name. Salt springs exist in the neighborhood, and to the south there are two small lakes, Zoñar and Rincon, which abound in fish. Up to 60% of the population is engaged in agricultural work at some time during the year, although agriculture accounts for only 30% of the economic activity.

Twin towns

* Verneuil-sur-Seine, France

Notes

Bibliography

Sources and external links

*
Aguilar de la Frontera homepage

* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070927035350/http://www.cajaespana.es/pubweb/decyle.nsf/PorMunicipios/F6187EB67C081FE0C1256DC100542D55/$File/14002.PDF?OpenElement Economic Study of Spain - Aguilar de la Frontera]
''Aguilar De La Frontera, Un Pueblo Emblemático'' by Diego Igeño Luque, 2005, Aires de Córdoba
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aguilar De La Frontera Municipalities in the Province of Córdoba (Spain)