View source for Ávila

{{Other uses}}
{{More citations needed|date=March 2012}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name          = Ávila
|settlement_type = [[Municipalities of Spain|Municipality]]
|other_name             = 
|native_name            =  <!-- for towns and cities whose native name is not in English -->
|motto                  = {{lang|es|Una ciudad para todos}}<br />{{literal|A city for everyone}}{{force singular}}
|nicknames              = {{ubl|{{lang|es|Ávila de los Caballeros}} ({{literal|Ávila of the Knights}})|{{lang|es|Ávila del Rey}} ({{literal|Ávila of the King}})|{{lang|es|Ávila de los Leales}} ({{literal|Ávila of the Loyal Ones}}){{efn|All three epithets are present in both the flag and the coat of arms of the city.}}}}
||image_skyline                    = {{Multiple image
  | perrow = 1/2/1
  | border = infobox
  | total_width = 280 
  | caption_align = center
  | image1 =  Avila 001.jpg
  | caption1 = Ávila with its [[Walls of Ávila|town walls]]
  | image2 = Basilica of San Vicente, Ávila, España.jpg
  | caption2 = [[Basilica of San Vicente]]
  | image3 = Avila - Catedral, exteriores 28.jpg
  | caption3 = [[Ávila Cathedral|Cathedral]]
  | image4 = Ávila - 46939602825 Plaza del Mercado Chico edited.jpg
  | caption4 = Plaza del Mercado Chico
}}
|image_flag             = Bandera de Ávila.svg
|flag_size              =
|image_shield           = Coat of Arms of Ávila (Spain).svg
|seal_size              =
|image_blank_emblem     =
|blank_emblem_size      =
| image_map          = {{Maplink|frame=yes|plain=y|frame-width=285|frame-height=180|frame-align=center|frame-coordinates={{Coord|39.5|N|3.7|W}}|zoom=4|type=point|title=Ávila|marker=city|type2=shape|stroke-width2=2|stroke-color2=#808080|text=Interactive map of Ávila.}}
|map_caption            = Location of Ávila
|subdivision_type       = Country
|subdivision_name       = Spain
|subdivision_type1      = [[Autonomous community]]
|subdivision_name1      = [[Castile and León]]
|subdivision_type2      = Province
|subdivision_name2      = [[Ávila (province)|Ávila]]
|government_type        =
|leader_title           = Mayor
|leader_name            = [[Jesús Manuel Sánchez Cabrera]]
|leader_party           = [[For Ávila|XAV]]
|established_title      = <!-- Settled -->
|established_date       =
|unit_pref              = <!--Enter: Imperial, if Imperial (metric) is desired-->
|area_land_km2          = 231.9
|population_as_of       = {{Spain metadata Wikidata|population_as_of}}
|population_footnotes   = {{Spain metadata Wikidata|population_footnotes}}
|population_total       = {{Spain metadata Wikidata|population_total}}
|population_demonym     = {{lang|es|abulense(s)}}
|timezone               = [[Central European Time|CET]]
|utc_offset             = +1
|timezone_DST           = [[Central European Summer Time|CEST]]
|utc_offset_DST         = +2
|coordinates            = {{coord|40|39|N|4|41|W|type:city_region:ES|display=inline,title}}
|elevation_footnotes    = <!--for references: use <ref> </ref> tags-->
|elevation_m            = 1132
|elevation_ft           = 3714
|postal_code_type       =  Postal code
|postal_code            = 05001–05006
|area_code              = +34 ([[Spain|ES]]) + 920 ([[Province of Ávila|AV]])
|website                = https://www.avila.es {{in lang|es}}
|footnotes = 
  {{Infobox UNESCO World Heritage Site
  |child = yes
  |Official_name = Old Town of Ávila with its Extra-Muros Churches
  |ID = 348
  |Year = 1985
  |Criteria = Cultural: iii, iv
  |Area = 36.4 ha
  |Includes = [[Hermitage of San Segundo]], [[Basilica of San Vicente]], [[Church of San Andrés (Ávila)|Church of San Andrés]], [[Church of San Pedro]], [[Church of San Nicolás (Ávila)|Church of San Nicolás]], [[Church of Santa María de la Cabeza]], [[Church of San Martín (Ávila)|Church of San Martín]], [[Convent of La Encarnación]], [[Convento de San José (Ávila)|Convent of San José]], [[Royal Monastery of Santo Tomás]]
  }}

}} <!-- Infobox ends -->
'''Ávila'''{{efn|{{IPAc-en|UK|ˈ|æ|v|ɪ|l|ə}} {{respell|AV|il|ə}}; {{IPAc-en|US|ˈ|ɑː|v|ɪ|l|ə}} {{respell|AHV|il|ə}},<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/avila |title=ÁVILA definition and meaning |work=[[Collins Online Dictionary]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190701154247/https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/avila |archive-date=1 July 2019 |url-status=live |accessdate=25 July 2025}}</ref> {{IPAc-en|-|v|i|-}} {{respell|-|vee|-}}, {{IPAc-en|-|(|,|)|l|ɑː}} {{respell|-|lah}};<ref>{{Cite web|title=AVILA Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/avila |date=25 July 2025 |website=[[Merriam-Webster.com]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100410170056/https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/avila |archive-date=10 Apr 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref> {{IPA|es|ˈaβila|lang|Pronunciation of Ávila in Spanish.ogg}}}} is the capital and most populated [[Municipalities of Spain|municipality]] of the [[Province of Ávila]], located in the [[Autonomous communities of Spain|autonomous community]] of [[Castile and León]] in [[Spain]]. Located in the centre of the [[Iberian Peninsula]], to the north of the [[Sistema Central]], it lies on the right bank of the [[Adaja]] and, at an elevation of over {{convert|1130|m|ft}} above sea level, is the highest provincial capital in Spain.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://cvc.cervantes.es/actcult/paisajes/castilla_leon/default.htm|publisher=[[Centro Virtual Cervantes]]|title=Castilla y León|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250105024922/https://cvc.cervantes.es/actcult/paisajes/castilla_leon/default.htm|archive-date=5 January 2025|url-status=live|access-date=4 August 2025}}</ref>

While it is not a settled issue, the primitive urban core of ''Obila'' was probably founded after the [[Roman conquest of the Iberian Peninsula|Roman subjugation of the territory]] through the assimilation of indigenous peoples ([[Vettones]]) in connection to the Roman policy enforcing the abandonment of surrounding hilltop ''[[oppida]]''.<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://uvadoc.uva.es/bitstream/handle/10324/10100/BSAA-2003-2004-69-70-NacimientoCiudadAvila.pdf?sequence=1|pages=174–175|title=El nacimiento de la ciudad de Ávila: nuevos datos a partir de las cerámicas del Mercado Grande|first=Javier|last=Quintana López|first2=Inés|last2=Centeno Gea|first3=Rosa|last3=Ruiz Entrecanales|publisher=[[University of Valladolid|Ediciones Universidad de Valladolid]]|location=Valladolid|journal=Boletín del Seminario de Estudios de Arte y Arqueología|year=2003|issue=69|issn=0210-9573}}</ref> Medieval Christian settlement took hold in the 11th century, with the growing status of milieus associated to the council militias and the discrimination against peasantry deepening the social inequality from a relatively egalitarian starting point.<ref>{{Cite book|chapter-url=https://medievalistas.es/wp-content/uploads/attachments/00750.pdf|chapter=Pobladores, caballeros, pecheros y señores. Conflictos sociales en el concejo de Ávila (ss. XII-XV)|first=José Mª|last=Monsalvo Antón|title=La historia peninsular en los espacios de frontera: Las "extremaduras históricas" y La "Transierra" (siglos XI-XV)|location=Madrid|year=2012|isbn=978-84-15463-47-4|pages=379–393}}</ref>

Ávila is sometimes called the "City of Stones and Saints"{{efn|{{langx|es|Ciudad de cantos y de santos}}}} due to its well-preserved medieval architecture and its connection to prominent [[Spanish mystics]].

The Old Town of Ávila with its [[Extra moenia|''extra muros'']] churches were declared a [[World Heritage Site|UNESCO World Heritage Site]] in 1985.

==History==

=== Ancient Avila ===
In pre-Roman times (the 5th century BC), Ávila was inhabited by the [[Vettones]], who called it ''Obila'' (Ὀβίλα)<ref>[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0064:entry=obila-geo Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854), Obila]</ref> ("High Mountain") and built one of their strongest fortresses here. There are Bronze Age stone statues of boars (known as [[Verraco|verracio]]) nearby.

[[File:Restos romanos avila.jpg|right|thumb|Archeological remains from the Roman era near the Gate of San Vicente]]
Ávila may have been the ancient town known as ''Abula'', mentioned by [[Ptolemy]] in his ''Geographia'' (II 6, 60) as being located in the Iberian region of [[Bastetania]]. ''Abula'' is mentioned as one of the first towns in [[Hispania]] that was converted to [[Christianity]] by [[Secundus of Abula]] (''San Segundo''), however, ''Abula'' may alternatively have been the town of [[Abla]].<ref name="abulenses">{{cite web|url=http://centrodeestudiosabulenses.blogia.com/temas/abulenses.php|author=Avitiano|title= Abulenses |publisher=Centro de estudios abulenses|date= December 23, 2008|accessdate=February 20, 2009}}</ref>

After the conquest by [[ancient Rome]], the town was called ''Abila'' or ''Abela''. The plan of the town remains typically Roman; rectangular in shape, with its two main streets ([[cardo]] and [[Decumanus Maximus|decumanus]]) intersecting at a [[Forum (Roman)|forum]] in the centre.  Roman remains that are embedded in town walls at the eastern and southern entrances (now the Alcazar and Rastro Gates) appear to have been [[ashlar]] altar stones.<ref name=apuntes>{{cite book|last=Almarza|first=Armando Ríos|title=Apuntes de Ávila|year=2007|publisher=Ayuntamiento de Ávila|location=Ávila|isbn=978-84-606-4259-6|url=http://www.avila.es/sample-sites/publicaciones/category/18-patrimonio-historico-publicaciones-graficas}}</ref>

By tradition, in the 1st century, Secundus, having travelled via the Roman province of [[Hispania Baetica]], brought the [[Gospel]] to Ávila, and was created its first bishop.<ref name=Rudd1905>{{Gutenberg|no=31965 |name=The Cathedrals of Northern Spain|last=Rudd|first=Charles|publisher=L.C. Page & Co.|location=Boston|year=1905|bullet=none}}</ref>

=== Middle Ages ===
After the [[fall of the Western Roman Empire]], Ávila became a stronghold of the [[Visigoths]]. Conquered by the Moors (Arabs) (who called it Ābila, آبلة), it was repeatedly attacked by the northern Iberian Christian kingdoms, becoming a virtually uninhabited no man's land. It was repopulated about 1088 following the definitive reconquest of the area by [[Raymond of Burgundy]], son in law of Alfonso VI of León and Castile. Tradition holds that he employed two foreigners, an Italian, Casandro Romano, and a Frenchman, Florin de Pontuenga, to construct a stone frontier town and creating the walls that still stand.<ref name="Ford1855">{{cite book|last=Ford|first=Richard|title=A handbook for travellers in Spain|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XCZOAAAAcAAJ|volume=2|year=1855|publisher=John Murray|location=London|page=744}}</ref><ref name="Alzog1855">{{cite book|last=Alzog|first=Johann Baptist|title=Historia eclesiástica de España|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qayNaJ8hq1QC|volume=2|year=1855|location=Barcelona|page=349}}</ref>

Ávila hosted a [[Jews|Jewish]] community in the Middle Ages. The first written evidence documenting the presence of Jews dates to 1144. By the end of the 13th century, the Jewish population in Ávila was one of the largest in Castile. In 1375, the Jews of Ávila were forced to watch a religious disputation between [[Juan de Valladolid]] and [[Moses ha-Kohen of Tordesillas]]. After the 1492 [[Expulsion of the Jews from Spain|expulsion of the Jews]], the Jewish community was nonexistent.<ref>{{cite web |title=ávila |url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/x00e1-vila |website=Jewish Virtual Library |access-date=25 June 2024}}</ref> Several synagogues existed in the city until the expulsion. Some of their properties were sold or auctioned in the years that followed, and in 1495 the Crown granted one of the synagogue sites to the Convent of the Incarnation on Lomo Street.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Beinart |first=Haim |title=The Expulsion of the Jews from Spain |publisher=The Littman Library of Jewish Civilization in association with Liverpool University Press |year=2001 |series=Littman Library of Jewish Civilization |volume=1 |location=Oxford |pages=72–73 |translator=Jeffrey M. Green}}</ref>

The city achieved a period of prosperity under the [[Catholic Monarchs]] in the early 16th century. During the [[Revolt of the Comuneros]], the city became the first meeting place of the [[:es:Santa Junta|Santa junta]] (the Holy governing board) on 1 August 1520.<ref>{{Cite journal |first=Manuel |last=Santos Burgaleta |title=Poderes urbanos y Comunidades de Castilla: la Junta de Salamanca a través de sus actas de sesiones (agosto de 1520-abril de 1521) |page=368 |year=2002 |number=48 |journal=Salamanca: Revista de Estudios |url=http://www.lasalina.es/documentacion/revistadeestudios/57-2-2.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200622153539/http://www.lasalina.es/documentacion/revistadeestudios/57-2-2.pdf |archive-date=2020-06-22 |url-status=live}}</ref> The Junta of Ávila drafted the ''Proyecto de Ley Perpetua'' (a sort of proto-constitutional draft that never came into force) in the Cathedral of Ávila in the Summer of 1520, envisaging that cities assembled every three years without the requirement for royal sanction or presence, determining taxation and acting as a check and balance on government activity.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Juana I|doi=10.1007/978-3-319-74347-9_11|chapter=The Giants’ War (1519–1520)|first=Gillian B.|last=Fleming|year=2018|page=246|isbn=978-3-319-74346-2}}</ref><ref name=diariodeburgos>{{Cite web|url=https://www.diariodeburgos.es/noticia/Z5F55E908-C538-06E4-9E297CBECF39DA37/202004/El-sueno-de-una-constitucion-comunera|website=Diario de Burgos|title=El sueño de una constitución comunera|date=23 July 2020}}</ref>[[File:Vista de Ávila. Anton van den Wyngaerde. 1570.jpg|center|thumb|upright=3.4|View of the city, as drawn by [[Anton van den Wyngaerde]] in 1570]]

=== Modern era ===
The city experienced a long decline since the 17th century, its population reducing to just 4,000 inhabitants.
[[File:Avila Puerta del Alcazar 1912 01.jpg|thumb|right|upright=0.7|The Alcázar Gate c. 1912]]
In the 19th century, there was some population growth with the construction of the railway line from Madrid to the French border at [[Irun]] and an important junction near the town.

In 1936, at the outbreak of the [[Spanish Civil War]], the town quickly became part of the area occupied by rebel troops. Growth continued slowly again under [[Francisco Franco|Franco]], but Ávila has not had a major influence in Spanish society in recent history, apart from the nurturing of politicians such as [[Adolfo Suárez]], the first democratically elected prime minister of Spain post-Franco, and José María Aznar, prime minister from 1996 to 2004, who represented Ávila in the [[Cortes Generales|Cortes]] but was not from the town.
<!--
[[File:Murallas de Ávila.jpg|thumb|center|upright=3.3|Panoramic view of the city]]
-->

==Geography==
Situated 1132 metres (3714 feet) [[above sea level]] on a rocky outcrop on the right bank of the [[List of rivers of Spain|Adaja]] river, a tributary of the [[Duero]], Ávila is the highest provincial capital in Spain. It is built on the flat summit of a rocky hill, which rises abruptly in the midst of a veritable wilderness; a brown, arid, treeless table-land, strewn with immense grey boulders, and shut in by lofty mountains.<ref name="EB1911">{{EB1911|inline=y|wstitle=Ávila (city)|display=Ávila|volume=3|page=64}}</ref>

===Climate===
Ávila's position results in a [[Mediterranean climate|warm summer mediterranean climate]] (''Csb'', according to the [[Köppen climate classification]]) bordering on a cold [[semi-arid climate]] (''BSk'') with warm summers and chilly winters with snowfalls. The hottest month, July, has an average temperature of {{convert|20.6|°C|0|abbr=on}}, and the coldest month, January, has an average of {{convert|3.0|°C|0|abbr=on}}. The average annual precipitation is {{convert|416|mm|2|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite web|title=Valores climatológicos normales - Ávila|url=http://www.aemet.es/es/serviciosclimaticos/datosclimatologicos/valoresclimatologicos?l=2444&k=cle|publisher=Agencia Estatal de Meteorologica|accessdate=1 October 2012}}</ref> Annual rainfall is low compared to surrounding areas, implying that it lies in a rain shadow. The Adaja is dry for several months of the year and the town has historically had water supply problems. Ávila has the coldest winter low temperatures of the Spanish [[provinces of Spain|provincial]] capital cities, thanks to its high altitude ({{convert|1,132|m|ft}} [[meters above sea level|above sea level]]).

{{Weather box
|location = Ávila {{convert|1,130|m|ft}} (1991-2020), extremes (1983-present)
|metric first = yes
|single line = yes
|Jan record high C = 20.8
|Feb record high C = 20.8
|Mar record high C = 24.2
|Apr record high C = 29.3
|May record high C = 33.0
|Jun record high C = 36.9
|Jul record high C = 37.6
|Aug record high C = 38.8
|Sep record high C = 36.0
|Oct record high C = 29.9
|Nov record high C = 22.7
|Dec record high C = 20.2
|Jan high C = 8.0
|Feb high C = 9.4
|Mar high C = 12.6
|Apr high C = 14.9
|May high C = 19.3
|Jun high C = 25.2
|Jul high C = 28.9
|Aug high C = 28.4
|Sep high C = 23.4
|Oct high C = 17.4
|Nov high C = 11.3
|Dec high C = 9.0
|year high C = 
|Jan mean C = 3.5
|Feb mean C = 4.4
|Mar mean C = 7.1
|Apr mean C = 9.3
|May mean C = 13.2
|Jun mean C = 18.1
|Jul mean C = 21.3
|Aug mean C = 21.0
|Sep mean C = 16.8
|Oct mean C = 12.0
|Nov mean C = 6.8
|Dec mean C = 4.5
|year mean C = 
|Jan low C = -1.0
|Feb low C = -0.6
|Mar low C = 1.5
|Apr low C = 3.6
|May low C = 7.2
|Jun low C = 11.1
|Jul low C = 13.6
|Aug low C = 13.5
|Sep low C = 10.1
|Oct low C = 6.5
|Nov low C = 2.2
|Dec low C = 0.0
|year low C = 
|Jan record low C = -16.0
|Feb record low C = -12.0
|Mar record low C = -13.2
|Apr record low C = -8.6
|May record low C = -4.6
|Jun record low C = -1.0
|Jul record low C = 1.0
|Aug record low C = 1.4
|Sep record low C = -3.0
|Oct record low C = -5.4
|Nov record low C = -14.0
|Dec record low C = -13.4
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 32
|Feb precipitation mm = 26
|Mar precipitation mm = 29
|Apr precipitation mm = 40
|May precipitation mm = 51
|Jun precipitation mm = 25
|Jul precipitation mm = 12
|Aug precipitation mm = 17
|Sep precipitation mm = 29
|Oct precipitation mm = 56
|Nov precipitation mm = 47
|Dec precipitation mm = 35
|year precipitation mm = 
|Jan precipitation days = 5.8
|Feb precipitation days = 5.0
|Mar precipitation days = 5.8
|Apr precipitation days = 7.7
|May precipitation days = 8.1
|Jun precipitation days = 4.1
|Jul precipitation days = 1.9
|Aug precipitation days = 2.3
|Sep precipitation days = 4.6
|Oct precipitation days = 7.3
|Nov precipitation days = 7.3
|Dec precipitation days = 6.1
|year precipitation days = 
|Jan snow days = 5.1
|Feb snow days = 4.7
|Mar snow days = 2.9
|Apr snow days = 1.8
|May snow days = 0.3
|Jun snow days = 0
|Jul snow days = 0
|Aug snow days = 0
|Sep snow days = 0
|Oct snow days = 0.2
|Nov snow days = 2.1
|Dec snow days = 2.7
|year snow days = 
|Jan humidity = 78
|Feb humidity = 71
|Mar humidity = 64
|Apr humidity = 62
|May humidity = 57
|Jun humidity = 48
|Jul humidity = 41
|Aug humidity = 43
|Sep humidity = 54
|Oct humidity = 68
|Nov humidity = 78
|Dec humidity = 78
|year humidity = 
|Jan sun = 133
|Feb sun = 155
|Mar sun = 211
|Apr sun = 228
|May sun = 264
|Jun sun = 315
|Jul sun = 356
|Aug sun = 329
|Sep sun = 255
|Oct sun = 189
|Nov sun = 129
|Dec sun = 121
|year sun = 
|source 1 = [[Agencia Estatal de Meteorología]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.aemet.es/es/datos_abiertos/AEMET_OpenData |title=AEMET OpenData |publisher=Aemet.es |accessdate=18 November 2024}}</ref>
|date= October 2016
}}

==Education==
===Universities===
[[File:Universidad-Catolica-Avila-190217.jpg|thumb|right|Main UCAV building]]
Ávila has two universities: the [[Catholic University of Ávila]] (UCAV) and the University of Mysticism, which became operational on September 2, 2008.{{Citation needed|date=March 2012}} There are three colleges of the [[University of Salamanca]] (USAL): the Polytechnic School of Ávila, the College of Education and Tourism in Ávila, and the School of Nursing.

==Culture==
=== Cultural image of the city ===
In his book ''[[List of works by José Martínez Ruiz|El alma castellana]]'' ({{Translation|''The Castilian Soul''}}), writer [[José Martínez Ruiz]] described it as "perhaps the most 16th-century town in Spain". Filmmaker [[Orson Welles]] once named Ávila as the place in which he would most desire to live, calling it a "strange, tragic place";<ref>{{cite web| url-status = live| archive-url = https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211205/VcgUAy2INsk| archive-date = 2021-12-05| url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcgUAy2INsk| title = Orson Welles - Avila | website=[[YouTube]]| date = 14 May 2015}}{{cbignore}}</ref> various scenes of his 1965 film ''[[Chimes at Midnight]]'' were filmed in the town.

===Popular celebrations===

The first public festival after the winter cold is [[Holy Week in Spain|Holy Week]].

Ávila's other major holidays are October 15, Santa Teresa de Jesús, and May 2, San Segundo. The festivities take place around October 15 and the Summer Festival in mid-July.

====Holy Week====
Holy Week as celebrated in Ávila has garnered international tourist interest.  It is one of the highest expressions of art and wealth as seen in numerous steps of [[Holy Week in Spain|Holy Week]] along the town walls. Processions have either fifteen or twelve fraternities.

====Fiestas de Santa Teresa====
[[File:Fiesta de Santa Teresa, Ávila (2007).jpg|thumb|200px|Fiestas de Santa Teresa (Procession, 2007)]]

The festivities of [[Teresa of Ávila|Santa Teresa]], the town's most famous historical resident, a canonized Catholic saint known for her mysticism and religious writings and the first female [[Doctor of the Church]], last almost the entire month of October. The proclamation is done by the mayor in the Plaza Mayor, accompanied by some celebrity. After the proclamation was organized in the same place a musical performance with renowned singers.

The festival program includes several musical concerts, a fairground, bullfights, [[passacaglia]], processions of the fan groups, chocolate with churros and liturgical acts naturally focus on the day of the patroness, on 15 October with multitudinous mass presided by Bishop, then celebrated a great procession, headed the image of Santa Teresa with the Virgin of La Caridad, and is accompanied by all the authorities of Ávila, civil and military, and several bands music. The procession takes place between the Cathedral of Ávila and Santa Teresa Church. Takes place the day before the "Procession Girl" from the Iglesia de Santa Teresa to the cathedral.

===Cuisine===
{{Multiple image
| image1 = Chuletón de Avila.jpg
| direction = vertical
| caption1 = {{ill|Chuletón de Ávila|es|italic=y}}
| image2 = Yemasabulenses.jpeg
| caption2 = [[Yemas de Santa Teresa]]
| align = 
| total_width = 
| alt1 = 
}}
Typical dishes of the town and region are ''judías del barco'', ''chuletón de Ávila'', ''patatas revolconas'' and ''yemas de Santa Teresa''. Also worth mentioning are ''[[hornazo]]'', bun stuffed with sausage, bacon, steak and eggs, ''mollejas de ternera'' and ''[[Suckling pig|Cochinillo]]'',  which can be found in the capital and in Arévalo.

====Yemas de Santa Teresa====
This sweet can always be found in the traditional pastry shop, La Flor de Castilla. In the other bakeries in the town it is produced under the name ''yemas de Ávila'', or simply yemas, produced as its name indicates from egg yolk.

====Chuletón de Ávila====
This is a grilled ribeye steak, best cooked rare, which can be enjoyed in any hotel in the town. It is made from [[Avileña-Negra ibérica]], an [[indigenous (ecology)|indigenous]] black cow known for its excellent meat, whose fame transcends the borders of the province and the country.

===Sports===
====Venues====
* Town Sport: swimming Pool, heated pool, tennis, paddle tennis, athletics, football, basketball, etc.
* North Zone: heated pool, football, basketball and tennis.
* Abulense Casino Club: pools, golf, tennis, paddle, cafeteria, restaurant, football, skating, basketball etc.
* Naturávila: golf, swimming, horse riding, walking, basketball, paddle tennis, football.
* San Antonio Sports Hall: in the north of the town is a large covered pavilion with basketball courts, tennis, soccer, squash, climbing.
* Polideportivo Carlos Sastre, on the outskirts of the town. Its inauguration took place on January 30, 2009, with a friendly match between [[Óbila CB|Óbila Club de Basket]] of [[LEB Plata]] and [[LEB Oro]] [[Baloncesto León|C.B. León]]. It has basketball courts, soccer, tennis, volleyball, etc.

====Teams====
The town is home to [[Óbila CB]], a professional basketball team of Spain's [[LEB Plata]]. The team plays its home games at the ''Multiusos Carlos Sastre''.

The local football team, [[Real Ávila CF]], plays at the [[Adolfo Suárez Stadium]], owned by the municipality.

==Main sights==
===Architecture===
====The Walls of Ávila====
[[File:Avila muralla 01 by-dpc.jpg|thumb|The Walls of Ávila]]
The main landmark in the city is the imposing [[Walls of Ávila]] (11th–14th centuries), begun in 1090. The enclosed area is {{convert|31|ha|abbr=off}} with a perimeter of {{convert| 2,516|m|yd|abbr=out}}, 88 blocks of semicircular towers, 2,500 [[merlon]]s, [[Curtain wall (fortification)|curtain walls]] {{convert|3|m|ftin|abbr=on}} thick, with an average height of {{convert|12| m|abbr=on}}, and 9 gates.<ref>[https://viajardescubriendo.com/que-ver-en-avila-en-un-dia/ Qué ver en Ávila en un día]</ref>

The walls represent the largest fully illuminated monument in the world. It is possible to walk upon the walls for roughly half their circumference. While some of the walls will never be walkable because of their integration into other structures, a large stretch has yet to be made safe for pedestrians.{{citation needed|date=August 2018}}

====Cathedral====
{{Main|Cathedral of Ávila}}
[[File:Avila Catedral PM 73576 E.jpg|thumb|right|View of the Cathedral of Ávila]]
The construction of the iron-grey granite Gothic [[Cathedral of Ávila]] is said to have commenced in 1107 under [[Alvar Garcia de Estrella]]. Other historians believe the cathedral to be the work of the master mason [[Fruchel]] in the 12th century, coinciding with the repopulation of the town led by [[Raymond of Burgundy]]. The eastern apse, which forms part of the town walls, is half church, half fortress, and it was here that the loyal citizens elevated [[Alonso VII]] as their king, hence ''Ávila del Rey''. The transept was finished in 1350 by Bishop Sancho de Ávila. The earlier Romanesque parts are made of a striking red-and-white "blood" limestone, while the Gothic parts were built with pure white stone.
* '''Northern façade''': Gothic style at left and added renaissance at right. Porch of the Apostles.
* '''Western front''': Burgundian style, with two towers forming a covered portal.
* '''Interior''': Latin cross with three naves, a [[Crossing (architecture)|crossing]] and [[ambulatory]].
* '''Capilla Mayor''': Features a monumental [[altarpiece]] by [[Pedro Berruguete]].
* '''Chapel of San Segundo''', the first bishop: Attached to a column of the cruise. Renaissance style.
* '''Chapel of Santa Catalina''': Made of [[alabaster]].
* '''Choir and Rood screen''': Renaissance style, decorated with reliefs depicting scenes of saints, carved from limestone. The alabaster tomb of [[Alonso Tostado|Alonso Tostado de Madrigal]], bishop in 1499, shown in the act of writing is in the [[ambulatory]]: "so enlightened were his doctrines that they caused the blind to see".
* '''Cloister''': Access from the [[Romanesque art|Romanesque]] cathedral by a door on the south aisle. [[Gothic architecture|Gothic]] style.

====Basílica de San Vicente====
{{Main|San Vicente, Ávila}}
[[File:Basilica of San Vicente, Ávila, España.jpg|thumb|200px|Basilica of San Vicente]]

* Construction began in the 12th century and lasted until the 14th century. Its design is attributed to the French master Giral Fruchel, the author himself from the cathedral and pioneer of the Gothic style in Spain.
* The overall structure is similar to the Latin [[basilica]]s. It has a Latin cross plan, three naves, dome, [[Tribune (architecture)|tribunes]], three [[apse]]s, [[Atrium (architecture)|atrium]], two towers, and [[crypt]].
* All the façade and the environment where it is located are of great artistic value.
* Interior: Latin cross room with three naves. The pillars are of a Greek cross with half columns on the heads.
* Crypt: Consists of three chapels, for the three apses of the church are mainly [[Romanesque art|romanesque]] and have the best [[Capital (architecture)|capitals]] of the monument.

Highlight the tomb of Saint Peter of the Boat and, above all, the Cenotaph of the Holy Brothers Martyrs, the head of the temple, Saint Vincent of Ávila, and her sisters, along with the torture he suffered in the 4th century, Saint Sabina and Saint Cristeta, (Cenotafio de los santos Vicente, Sabina y Cristeta), one of the most important works of Romanesque sculpture in Spain.

====Convento de San José====
{{Main|Convento de San José (Ávila)}}
[[File:Avila - Convento de San Jose o de las Madres 03.jpg|thumb|200px|Convento de San José]]
The Convent of Saint Joseph is the first monastery of [[Discalced Carmelites|Discalced Carmelite]] [[nun]]s founded by [[Teresa of Ávila|Saint Teresa of Jesus]]. The convent was built in the year of 1562, although the most important architectural element, the church, was built in 1607. The church was designed by the architect [[Francisco de Mora]] (1553–1610). It has been designated a national monument since 1968.

====Iglesia de San Pedro====

* Start date: about 1100.
* The church of Saint Peter is located outside the town walls in the [[Plaza]] de Mercado Grande at the door of the Alcazar. Presents analogous with that of San Vicente.
* Latin cross floor and three naves of five sections. Apsidal chapels: mayor chapel, chapel of the south apse and chapel of the north apse.

====Ermita de San Segundo====
[[File:Avila Torreon de los Gusmanes.jpg|thumb|200px|{{interlanguage link|Torreón de los Guzmanes|es|Torreón de los Guzmanes}}]]
[[File:Ermitadesonsoles.jpg|200px|thumb|upright|Santuario de Nuestra Señora de Sonsoles]]

A hermitage located to the west of Ávila, outside the town walls, on the right bank of the Adaja river. It highlights the sculpted capitals in which the sculptor is the footprint of the apse of San Andrés. Alabaster statues were made by [[Juan de Juni]]. Popular belief has it that, on introducing a handkerchief into the tomb and asking for three wishes, the saint will grant one. His pilgrimage is celebrated on 2 May, [[Saint Segundo|Segundo]] being the patron saint of Ávila.

====Palacio de Don Diego del Águila====
This 16th-century palace is located inside the walls and attached to it as junt walk through the door of San Vicente, defended the access of Muslim troops.{{Clarify|date=March 2012}} Located on a busy street by different arms of the Águila family.{{Clarify|date=March 2012}}

====Real Monasterio de Santo Tomás====
[[Real Monasterio de Santo Tomás]] is a [[Dominican Order|Dominican]] convent of the late 15th century. Despite being away from the historic centre, it is one of the most important monuments of the town.

====Santuario de Nuestra Señora de Sonsoles====
[[File:Avila Convento de Sta Theresa01.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Iglesia-convento de Santa Teresa|Convento de Santa Teresa]]]]

This sanctuary is located 6&nbsp;km from the capital in a picturesque area, and has a restaurant, hostel, picnic areas, and playgrounds.

It houses the statue of the Virgin of Sonsoles, co-patroness of Ávila, and patroness of the fields in the province.

It is a tradition in this town to make pilgrimage to the sanctuary, make a wish to the Virgin, and get to the door barefoot until entering the church.

===Secular architecture===
Notable examples of secular architecture are the Valderrábanos Palace (15th century), the Casa de los Deanes (16th century), the Torreón de los Guzmanes and the Verdugos Palace (15th–16th centuries).

====Conference and Exhibition Centre Lienzo Norte====
* In mid-2007, work began on the convention centre. In April 2009, its construction was completed and it opened its doors.
* The building, designed by architect Francisco José Mangado, is modern in style. It covers and area of {{convert|19800|m2|0|abbr=on}}, including the area of the neighbouring gardens and parking.
* There is a large symphony hall, large glass galleries, café, restaurant, conference room, catering services, storage, reception, store room, etc.
* The symphony hall has a capacity of 2,000 and the secondary hall of 500. The two conference rooms have each 1,000 seats.

===Museums===
[[File:Cuatro postes avila.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Los Cuatro (The Four) Postes, landmark spot in Ávila]]
* Museum of Ávila
* Museum of la Encarnación
* Museum of Santa Teresa
* Museum of the Cathedral
* Museo of Santo Tomás
* Museum of Oriental Art
* Museum of Natural Sciences

===Other sights===
* Living Water
* Hall of Torreón de los Guzmanes
* Sala de la Diputación
* Sala del Episcopio
* [[Caprotti Museum]] (which houses the work of Italian painter Guido Caprotti (1887–1966), based in Ávila from 1916)<ref>[http://www.patrimoniocastillayleon.org/avila/estudiocaprotti.php Estudio Caprotti]</ref>

==Twin towns – sister cities==
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Spain}}
Ávila is [[Sister city|twinned]] with:
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
*{{flagicon|MEX}} [[Guanajuato City|Guanajuato]], [[Guanajuato]], [[Mexico]]<ref>{{cite web |title=La capital tendrá otra ciudad hermana|url=https://periodicocorreo.com.mx/la-capital-tendra-otra-ciudad-hermana/|website=periodicocorreo.com.mx|publisher=Periódico Correo|language=es|date=2014-10-20|accessdate=2020-06-10}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|GRC}} [[Rhodes (city)|Rhodes]], [[Rhodes Island]], [[Greece]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Why Rhodes|url=http://www.rhodes2021.eu/v1/index.php/candidacy/why-rhodes|website=rhodes2021.eu|publisher=Rhodes|accessdate=2020-06-10}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|FRA}} [[Rueil-Malmaison]], [[Île-de-France]], [[France]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Villes jumelles|url=https://www.villederueil.fr/fr/villes-jumelles|website=villederueil.fr|publisher=Rueil-Malmaison|language=fr|accessdate=2020-06-10}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|ITA}} [[Teramo]], [[Abruzzo]], [[Italy]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Useful info|url=https://www.discoverteramo.it/en/Location/Teramo/180-27-1.html|website=discoverteramo.it|publisher=Discover Teramo|accessdate=2020-06-10}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|FRA}} [[Villeneuve-sur-Lot]], [[Nouvelle-Aquitaine]], [[France]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Avila – Espagne|url=http://www.ville-villeneuve-sur-lot.fr/avila-espagne-6.html|website=ville-villeneuve-sur-lot.fr|publisher=Villeneuve-sur-Lot|language=fr|accessdate=2020-06-10}}</ref>
{{div col end}}

==Infrastructure==
[[File:Estación de Ávila 7.JPG|thumb|right|A train at the Ávila railway station]]
The [[Ávila Railway Station]] serves the town. The closest airport is [[Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport|Adolfo Suárez]] in Madrid-Barajas. The city can be reached via the A-6 from Madrid. The city itself can be explored on foot, although there is a public service of buses running throughout the city. Also, there is a bus station that has intercity bus connections; it was built to replace the 1974-era old station located on Avenida de Madrid. There is an underground parking lot under the main square ("El grande").

The Old Town city zone is nowadays closed to private cars, and outside the walls are many roundabouts that help traffic flow, and the ring road that goes from the bus station to the southern zone bordering the walls makes it possible to cross the entire city by car or walking in less than 30 minutes. In the 70s and 80s most traffic lights were replaced with roundabouts, but many lights still exist in the central zone where it is not possible to put roundabouts. Also in that time, the city had relatively large growth, which led to the creation of many social neighborhoods around the old town area.

The Hospital Nuestra Señora de Sonsoles (Our lady of Sonsoles Hospital), the Adolfo Suárez stadium, the residential zones as Urbanización Las Hervencias, la ciudad deportiva (sporting city) with pools, a running track, soccer and football camp; the office building (La calera), the tower-residential flats zone (Madrigal de Altas Torres), the workers' quarter like San José Obrero (St. Joseph of the Worker), the retirement building (Residencia de tercera edad), the students' residence (Valle Ambles), hotels like Don Carmelo and Sercotel, new schools and high schools, and the 4-lane principal avenues Hornos Caleros and Carretera de Valladolid were built in the 70s and 80s. This doubled the population and provided the city with modern services. Nowadays, there is a mall near the hospital in the northern zone.

==See also==
*[[List of people from Ávila, Spain]]
*[[Kingdom of Castile]]
*[[Old Castile]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book|last=Parkinson Keyes|first=Frances|title=The Land of Stones and Saints|url=https://archive.org/details/landofstonessain00keye|url-access=registration|year=1957|publisher=Doubleday}} (Lives of five famous people of the province of Avila, Spain, in the 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries: Isabel the Catholic, St Teresa of Ávila, St John of the Cross, María Vela and San Pedro Bautista)
* {{cite book|last=Bilinkoff|first=Jodi|title=The Avila of Saint Teresa : Religious Reform in a Sixteenth-Century City|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7591/j.ctt1287dh1|year=2014|publisher=Cornell University Press|jstor=10.7591/j.ctt1287dh1 |isbn=978-0-8014-7981-6 }}

==External links==
{{Wikivoyage|Ávila}}
{{Commons}}
* {{cite CE1913 |first=Thomas Joseph |last=Shahan |wstitle=Diocese of Avila |volume=2 |short=x}}
* [http://www.avila.es Avila's Municipal Council]

{{World Heritage Sites in Spain}}
{{Municipalities in Ávila}}
{{Capitals of Provinces in Spain}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Avila}}
[[Category:Ávila, Spain| ]]
[[Category:Municipalities in the Province of Ávila]]
[[Category:World Heritage Sites in Spain]]
[[Category:Province of Ávila]]
[[Category:Cultural tourism in Spain]]