Photos of Huéscar (Granada) (August 2021) (part 2)

=> Photos from August 2021

Huéscar is a town and municipality in the northeast of the province of Granada, in Andalusia (Spain, Europe). It is currently the capital of the Huéscar region and also part of the natural region (and tourist area) of the Altiplano de Granada, part of the municipal association of the Huéscar region (its headquarters is located here) and, since 2020, is also part of the territory of the Granada Geopark (also called Quaternary Geopark Northern Valleys of Granada). Additionally, it serves as the judicial district headquarters, being the judicial party no. 8 of the province of Granada.

The Very Noble and Loyal City of Huéscar is a locality of approximately 8000 inhabitants (in 1991 it had 10,031 inhabitants (at that time it was not a village but a city), however, by 2001 it suddenly dropped to 7910 inhabitants, transitioning from being a city for most of its history to a large village to this day) located in the middle of a fertile plain nourished by the Huéscar River (also called the Barbata River or the Bravatas River) at the foot of the imposing Sierra de la Encantada and Sierra de la Sagra (the latter being the second highest mountain range in all of Andalusia after Sierra Nevada) and surrounded by semi-desert landscapes typical of Badlands (or Malpaís) of the Altiplano de Granada. The locality of Huéscar truly offers a journey into the past mixed with the present with a substantial handful of stately homes, several palaces and manors (these began with the arrival of the House of Alba in the 15th century, when many noble or affluent families settled in Huéscar), the impressive and emblematic Collegiate Church of Santa María la Mayor (nicknamed 'the Cathedral of Huéscar'), the Church of Santiago (historically occupied by the main Arab mosque), the three emblematic convents of Huéscar (the Convent of Santo Domingo, currently the Teatro Oscense; the Convent of San Francisco, which today houses the Huéscar Tourist Office, the CICOS 'Interpretation Center for the Segureño Lamb' museum, and the Interactive Museum City of Huéscar; and the Convent of the Dominicans, now permanently closed), the pleasant and beautiful Paseo de Santo Cristo, the beautiful modernist house of Casa Penalva, the central and popular Plaza Mayor (where the Town Hall building is located), the Calle de San Cristóbal (the commercial axis of the historic center of Huéscar), the pleasant Rodríguez Penalva Municipal Park (the green lung of Huéscar), the Huéscar Municipal Market (as an interesting fact, it is the only supply market in the Huéscar region), the interesting Comic Museum or José de Huéscar Museum (dedicated to José de Huéscar, cartoonist of comics like Rintintín and Cabo Rusty), the emblematic Torre del Homenaje (the only remnant preserved from the historic Arab Alcazaba of Úskar) and its splendid panoramic viewpoint from the rooftop, etc.

It has a population (according to INE data for 2024) of 7234 inhabitants and an area of 473.07 km² (with this area, the municipality of Huéscar is even more extensive than the entire Principality of Andorra). The municipality of Huéscar, besides the main nucleus of Huéscar (the municipal capital), also includes the annexes (municipalities and/or villages) of Barrio Nuevo de San Clemente, Duda, la Parra, Canal de San Clemente, Finca los Morales, Cortijo de Torralba and Pinar de la Vidriera.

The emblematic and beautifully constructed Collegiate Church of Huéscar (nicknamed 'the Cathedral of Huéscar'), with cathedral-like dimensions, is dedicated to Santa María la Mayor; it was built in the 16th century and is of Gothic and Renaissance styles; it was declared one of the Seven Wonders of the province of Granada in 1973 and that same year was also declared a Cultural Heritage of Interest. Moreover, in 2009, Pope Benedict XVI named the Collegiate Church of Santa María la Mayor of Huéscar as a Perpetual Jubilee Temple, similar to the Papal Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome. Thus, it becomes the first temple in the Diocese of Guadix affiliated with a Pontifical basilica. Therefore, all those who pilgrimage to the Collegiate Church of Santa María la Mayor in Huéscar will achieve Plenary Indulgence, making it today a prominent site for Christian pilgrimage, akin to Jerusalem, Rome, Santiago de Compostela, Santo Toribio de Liébana, and Caravaca de la Cruz.