Armentia

Armentia
Village
Armentia Location in Spain
Coordinates: 42°50′N 2°42′W / 42.833°N 2.700°W / 42.833; -2.700Coordinates: 42°50′N 2°42′W / 42.833°N 2.700°W / 42.833; -2.700
Country	Spain
Autonomous Community	Basque Country
Province	Álava
Comarca	Cuadrilla de Vitoria
Government
• Alcalde	Gorka Urtaran (Basque Nationalist Party)
Elevation (AMSL)	550 m (1,800 ft)
Population (2011)
• Total	215
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	01007
Area code(s)	+34 (Spain) + 945 (Álava)
Official language(s)	Spanish, Basque

Armentia is one of the villages associated with Vitoria-Gasteiz. Its name comes from the Latin word armentum, which translated into English means "intensive farming". The village is well known for its 161ha park created in the 1998.

Armentia was a Spanish village in Álava, Basque Country and is at present one quarter of Vitoria-Gasteiz as a result of the city's expansion.

The village of Armentia was the most important religious centre in Álava in the late Middle Ages and as it was the see of the bishop, its church was the first cathedral in the Basque Country until the end of the 11th century, a time when the southern part of the Iberian peninsula was dominated by Muslim forces. Later, the bishop's see was moved to Calahorra. Armentia was a strategic point on the communications networks in Roman and late medieval times and stood on the crossroads of two important routes: the Way of Saint James towards Gometxa, and the Roman road, which, after passing by the Mariturri Spring, headed towards Zuazo, and from there to Lermanda, Margarita and Iruña.

Armentia has one of the most important Romanesque churches dating from the 12th century in the province, which is the Basilica of San Prudencio de Armentia. References during the late Middle Ages describe it as the most important spiritual centre in Álava. The current building is twelfth century Romanesque and has a Latin cross plan, a transept and a semicircular apse.

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Wikipedia