Padrón 4226763 224037413 2008-07-07T01:08:34Z Life of Riley 6097464 Added disambig hatnote. {{For|persons named Padrón|Padrón (surname)}} {{otheruses4|a town in Spain|the cigar brand|Padrón (cigar brand)}} [[Image:Padron.JPG|thumb|200px|A street in Padrón]] '''Padrón''' is a ''concello'' ([[Galician language|Galician]] for [[municipality]]) in the [[A Coruña (province)|Province of A Coruña]], in [[Galicia (Spain)|Galicia]] ([[Spain]]) within the region called [[O Sar|Comarca do Sar]]. It covers an area of 48.4 [[km²]], is 95 km from [[A Coruña]] and had a population of 9,070 in [[2004]] according to the [[Instituto Nacional de Estadística (Spain)|INE]]. Padrón is divided into five [[parish|parishes]]: *(San Pedro de) Carcacía *(Santa María de) Cruces *(Santa María de) Herbón *(Santa María de) Iria Flavia (or Iría Flavia) *(Santiago de) Padrón People from Padrón are called ''Padronés'' or ''Iriense'' (plural ''Padroneses'' or ''Irienses''). The latter makes reference to the ancient [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] community of [[Iria Flavia]], which eventually became Padrón. ==History and Etymology== Iria was an [[Iberian]] settlement, the capital the [[Caporo]]s people, located in the confluence of rivers [[Sar (river)|Sar]] and [[Ulla]], and on the crossroads to [[Braga]] ([[Portugal]]) and [[Astorga, Spain|Astorga]] ([[León (province)|León]]). It became [[Iria Flavia]] under [[Titus|Titus Flavius Vespasianus]], and it was the [[Episcopal See]] during the [[Middle Ages]] until [[Alfonso II of Asturias]] moved it to [[Santiago de Compostela|Compostela]] after the foundation of [[Saint James|Santiago]]'s sepulcher. When the name "Padrón" became more popular, "Iria Flavia" was consigned to a small [[Hamlet (place)|hamlet]] (the current parish). According to tradition, it was in Iria Flavia that [[Twelve apostles|Apostle]] [[Saint James]] first preached during his stay in [[Hispania]]. Soon after his death that his [[disciple]]s [[Theodore]] and [[Athanasius]] brought his head and his body to Iria from [[Jerusalem]] in a stone boat. They moored the boat to a ''pedrón'' ([[Spanish language|Spanish]] for big stone), hence the new [[toponym]] given to the place. The two disciples remained in Iria Flavia (now Padrón) to preach after burying the Apostle in Compostela, and the legendary ''pedrón'' can be seen today at the parish church of Santiago de Padrón. Padrón soon became a popular passing place in the [[Way of St. James|Camino de Santiago]] [[pilgrimage]] route and suffered several attacks in the 10th and 11th centuries by both [[Vikings]] and [[Normans]]. The invasion attempts decreased after the ''Torres del Oeste'' (West Towers) were built as protection in [[Catoira]] ([[Pontevedra]]) by Bishop [[Cresconio]]. This led to a great period of prosperity during the 12th and 13th centuries. During this period and under [[Archbishop Gelmírez]] (born in the West Towers) a [[quay]] was built by the Sar river bank. From its [[shipyard]] came the first [[galleys]] of the [[Spain|Spanish]] [[Navy]]. In 15th century, Archbishop [[Rodrigo de Luna]] moved [[Santiago de Compostela]]'s Town Council to Padrón for two years, to fend off the influence of the [[Counts of Altamira]]. His sepulcher with a reclining sculpture can be found at the Iria Flavia parish church. The focus of attention gradually moved to nearby [[Santiago de Compostela|Compostela]], capital of [[Galicia (Spain)|Galicia]]. ==Economy== The economy is based mainly on [[agriculture]] ([[capsicum|pepper]]s, [[kiwi]]s, [[flower]]s are grown), and to a lesser extent on other industries ([[wood]], [[tanned hide]], [[aluminum]]), [[tourism]] and [[trade]], due to its location at a crossroads. ==Padrón peppers== The most famous produce of Padrón are its peppers (''pimientos de Padrón''), which are small green peppers from the [[Capsicum annuum|Capsicum Annuum]] family. They are served fried with [[olive oil]] and [[coarse salt]]. Most taste sweet and mild, though some are particularly hot and spicy, which gives its character to the dish and is perfectly captured in the popular ''"Os pementos de Padrón, unos pican e outros non"'' (Galician for "Padrón peppers, some are hot and some are not"). The level of heat varies according to the [[capsaicin]] of each pepper. Although it's not always the case, the peppers grown towards August/September tend to contain more capsaicin than the ones of June/July. About 15,000 kg of peppers are grown in Padrón each year (mostly in the valley of the parish of Herbón) between June and September. In [[1979]] the first ''Festa do Pemento de Padrón'' was organized in Herbón, a popular gastronomic event that has been held every year since, the first Sunday in August. The ''festa'' takes place in the ''carballeira'' of Herbón's [[Franciscan]] convent, since it was the Franciscan monks who brought the first pepper seeds from [[Mexico]] in the 16th century, which then were adapted to the soil, the [[Oceanic climate]] of the Valley and grown with special techniques. ==Important people born in Padrón== Padrón has been home to four important writers: *[[Macías|Macias the Lover]] (?-[[1434]]), [[medieval]] poet, *[[Juan Rodríguez de la Cámara]] (end of 14th century-soon after [[1450]]), also known as Juan Rodríguez de Padrón, [[medieval]] writer *[[Rosalía de Castro]] {[[1837]]-[[1885]]), [[Romanticism|Romantic]] poet *[[Camilo José Cela]] ([[1916]]-[[2002]]), writer and [[Nobel Prize]] winner. {{commons|Padrón}} ==External links== *[http://www.rosaliadecastro.org/ Rosalía de Castro Museum and Foundation, in Padrón] *[http://www.fundacioncela.com/asp/home/home.asp Camilo José Cela Foundation, in Padrón] {{A Coruña (province)}} {{coor title dm|42|44|N|8|39|W}} [[Category:Municipalities in A Coruña]] [[ca:Padrón]] [[de:Padrón]] [[es:Padrón (La Coruña)]] [[fr:Padrón]] [[gl:Padrón]] [[it:Padrón]] [[nl:Padrón]] [[pt:Padrón]] [[ru:Падрон]] [[tr:Padrón]]