Lugo
- For the Italian city, see Lugo, Italy.
Lugo is a city in northwestern Spain, in the autonomous community of Galicia. It is the capital of the province of Lugo. The municipality had a population of 92,271 in 2005.
History
The city was probably founded by Celts of the Cult of Lugh[citation needed], The bearer of the Grail, and God of Light, many hundreds of years B.C. and later conquered by Paulus Fabius Maximus and called Lucus Augusti (noted as Λοῦκος Αὐγούστον by Ptolemy, ii. 6. § 24) in 13 BC on the positioning of a Roman military camp[1], while the Roman Empire completed the conquest, in the North, of the Iberian Peninsula. Situated in what was the Roman province of Hispania Tarraconensis, it was the chief town of the tribe of the Capori. Though small it was the most important Roman town in what became Gallaecia during the Roman period, the seat of a conventus, one of three in Gallaecia, and later became one of the two capitals of Gallaecia, and gave its name to the Callaïci Lucenses. The Conventus Lucensis, according to Pliny, began at the river Navilubio, and contained 16 peoples, besides the Celtici and Lebuni; and though these tribes were not powerful, and their names "barbarous" to Roman ears, there were among them 166,000 freemen (Plin. iii. 3. s. 4, iv. 20. s. 34). The city stood on one of the upper branches of the Minius (modern Minho), on the road from Bracara to Asturica (Itin. Ant. pp. 424, 430), and had some famous baths, of which there are now no remains. (Florez, Esp. S. vol. xl., xli.; Ukert, vol. ii. pt. 1, p. 437).
Lucus was the seat of a bishopric by the later 5th century at the latest and remained an administrative center under the Suebi and Visigoths, before going into such a decline that the site was found to be deserted in the middle of the eighth century by bishop Odoario, who set about reviving it. Tenth century attempts at rebuilding its casas destructas (abandoned tenements) suggest that it remained a town only on paper: the seat of a bishopric, administered by a count, from which royal charters were issued. "Its commercial and industrial role was insignificant", Richard Fletcher wrote of 11th century Lugo[2].
During the High Middle Ages the city recovered.
Ecclesiastical history
The Romans had inhabited Lugo in 13 B.C., The Romans introduced some culture to them, and also Built a large wall, protecting the city (built for the Romans not Spain), And inside was a beautiful cathedral which still stands.
The Diocese of Lugo (Lucensis in Latin) which embraces all the province of Lugo and part of Pontevedra and Coruña in Galicia, Spain, is a suffragan of Santiago de Compostela. It is said to have been founded (by Agapitus) in Apostolic times.
The see certainly existed in the fifth century, as the authentic catalogue of its bishops begins with Agrescius (433), who is ranked as a metropolitan. Lugo, however, became a suffragan of the archbishopric of Braga somewhat later. In 561 it was restored to its ancient metropolitan dignity, Ourense, Iria Flavia, Astorga and Britonia being its dependent sees. Councils were held at Lugo in 569, 572, and perhaps 610 (see Baronius, 1597; Hardouin, Conc., II, 373). In 666 it again lost its metropolitan rank.
The diocese had in the early 20th century 1102 parishes, (Perujo says 647, infra), 1108 priests, 649 chapels, and 21 oratories and 5 religious houses for men, and 8 convents of women. The population was about 366,000, practically all Catholics. The diocese takes its name from the capital of the province which is situated on the Rio Miño.
The seminary of San Lorenzo, Lugo, with 400 students, was founded in 1591; it is incorporated with the prestigious University of Salamanca.
Situation and features
| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
|---|---|
| Criteria | Cultural: iv |
| Reference | 987 |
| Inscription | 2000 (24th Session) |
Located on a site above the Minho river and named after the Celtic god Lugus, it is the only city in Europe to be surrounded by completely intact Roman walls, which reach a height of 10 to 15 metres along a 2'5 km circuit ringed with 71 towers. The walk along the top is continuous round the circuit. These 3rd century walls are protected by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. The bridge over the Minho is essentially of Roman date, though many repairs over the centuries have effaced its Roman character.
Other sources suggest that the name Lucus Augusti comes from the Latin word Lucus, which means "sacred grove", or "sacred forest", as the city was founded on the place of a small grove.
The city possesses a fine cathedral dedicated to St. Froilán, built about 1129, though the actual main facade and towers date only from 1769. Its elegant stalls were carved by Francisco Mouro in 1624. This cathedral enjoys the extraordinary privilege of having the Blessed Sacrament perpetually exposed, a privilege which is commemorated in the armorial bearings of the town. Besides the walls, sights include the cathedral, built between the XIIth and the XVIIIth centuries, and the Museo Provincial, which shows a display of Galician art and other building of the XVIIIth century and the Palace of the arts (Circulo de las Artes) and the 'Spain Square', which is the site of many cafes.
See also
Sources and references
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty|title=(help)- This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Smith, William, ed. (1854–1857). Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography. London: John Murray.
{{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - Pictures and information about the city
- Photos of Lugo
- Richard Stillwell, ed. Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites, 1976: Lucus Augusti (Lugo), Lugo, Spain"
Notes
- ^ The cardo and decumanus of the ancient plan can still be recognized in the modern street plan.
- ^ Richard A. Fletcher, 1984. Saint James's Catapult: The Life and Times of Diego Gelmírez of Santiago de Compostela (Oxford University Press) (on-line text, ch. 1)
External links
Cities in Galicia | ||
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