Benabarre
Benabarre (), in Ribagorçan and Aragonese: Benavarri () is a town and municipality in the Aragonese comarca of Ribagorza, in the province of Huesca, Spain. Benabarre is the historical and cultural capital of the comarca. It is part of the geo-linguistic area of La Franja, where Ribagorçan dialect of Catalan is spoken. In ancient texts it appears as "Benabarri". It is located in the Pre-Pyrenees, 90 km from Huesca and 65 km from Lleida, at an altitud of 792 m, in a small syncline between Ésera and Cajigar rivers. Most of the territory, however, belongs to the Noguera Ribagorçana  basin. To the north we find the Castillo de Laguarres mountain range, and to the south we find the Montsec Range. Through its municipal area runs the N-230 road, that connects Lleida and the Val d'Aran. History. It is a very old town, probably the Roman "Bargidum" or "Bargusia", and it is said that it was given to the Arabs taking the name of their first lord Aben Avarre. It was conquered from Islam around the year 1062 (although there is no document proving the exact date). What leaves no doubt is that it was conquered by Ramiro I of  Aragon for the Kingdom of Aragon within the same military campaign in which he conquered, immediately north of the town, the places of Luzás, Viacamp y Litera, Tolva, Laguarres and Lascuarre, and to the south of the town, but north of Purroy and Caserras, the lands of Falces, Falcibus, from one of whose houses and its alloys, the king granted a franchise to Agila de Falces and brothers on February 1, 1067 (as documented on that date). Traditionally, Benabarre was the capital of the historic County of Ribagorza, which was more expansive in territory than today, and included the comarca  of Alta Ribagorça, now in the province of Lleida, Catalonia. It was during the Spanish War of Independence, from 1808–1814, that the French Napoleonic troops, in retaliation against the inhabitants of Benabarre, decided to make Graus the capital of the comarca. Ever since, Benabarre ceased to be the administrative capital, but it is still the most important cultural and historical center of the region. During the First Carlist War (1833-1840) it was one of the towns that suffered the most from those in the province of Huesca. Local festivities. Its Holy Week procession is also well-known in the  Ribagorza, unusual in this sense because the Romans who lead the procession have little to do with the Romans that we can all know, it is a Roman costume with influences of a Renaissance soldier, a complete visual delight for tourists who want to stop and watch this procession on Holy Friday at 10pm from the Our Lady of Valdeflores church square. Patrimony. Also noticeable are the Hermitage of Santa Maria of Caladrones and the Hermitage of San Salvador of Entença, as well as churches of Saint Romanus of Estaña, Saint Stephen of Estaña, Saint James of Entença, Saint  Anne of Caladrones, Santa María of Aler, Saint Cristopher of Ciscar and Saint Michael of Ciscar.