A
picturesque place
with a remarkable oenological value
Place of the province of Huesca,
belonging to the municipality of Angüés. It has approximately
90 inhabitants and an altitude of 457 meters on the sea level. It
is distant from Huesca 28 kilometers. They are named bespenenses.
It can be arrived from Huesca
by Monflorite, Alcalá del Obispo, Fañanás, Pueyo de Fañanás
and Blecua. Before sighting Antillón, (famous for its
walls), on the left hand, we will find the deviation to Bespén.
Another optional route is for the general highway of Lérida
(the National-240 of Huesca to Barbastro), straying
to the right, nothing more past Angüés. Bespén is still
part of the Valley (Hole) of Huesca, but already stepping in
the Somontano (Under-mountains). It was village in 1233-1287
and became in place later. It had own City Council until its incorporation
to Angüés, in the years 1960-1970.
Several were their tenentes (King
delegates) throughout the history, counting that the church already
belonged to Montearagón in 1099, according to the document
of Pedro I, mentioned by Ubieto Arteta. About the property
of this earth, in 1149 was tenente (king delegate) the viscount
of Gabarret and of Bearne, and in 1177, Galindo de Naya. On
6 of February of 1233, the king Jaime I of Aragon granted
Artal de Foces the villages of Alquézar, Tramaced, Bespén
and Usón. Fifty four years later, on 13 of December of 1287, Alfonso
III de Aragon gave to Alamán de Gúdar the castle and the
village of Bespén, strength of which scarce references are
had in our days. Bespén also belonged to the infant Martin,
for donation of the king Pedro IV de Aragon. In 1424 was of
Berenguer de Bardají, compromiser in Caspe, and in 1436,
of Lope de Gurrea. Finally, Labaña leaves perseverance,
in 1610, of the ownership of Bespén to Juan de Torrellas.
The secular dominion was prolonged, then, during centuries, until
the abolition was decreed.
The civil architecture is very similar
to other towns of the area: some streets of simple and even long tracing,
square and little squares, an attractive passage among streets, houses
of rancid ancestry among restored housings and of new construction.
Everything highlights clean, formal and are in its place.
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It calls powerfully the attention the
parochial church, dedicated to San Juan Evangelist. It is romanesque
of the XII century, of a single ship and semicircular apse. The access
cover is composed of three archivolts of half point. The silhouette
already highlights arrogance from the highway, with a monumental apse
in first plane, toward the town. A staircase allows to arrive to the
portico.
Inside the municipal term rise the hermitages
of Nuestra Señora de Pilar and of Nuestra Señora
de la Sierra. The first is of the XIX century, of square plant.
The second, of three tracts, has a previous origin - possibly, among
the XVII and XVIII centuries-, but some modifications have deformed
it, that it can almost be considered contemporary.
  The census of 1857 registered 475 inhabitants
(almost half thousand), in front of less than 100 of the current time.
And it is that, in the second half of the last XX century, the majority
inhabitants went to Huesca; and other, to Catalonia. Bespén
continues having agricultural resources and cattlemen; and during
many years,its excellent wines enjoyed fully a deserved reputation;
wines that can still be appreciated.
Most of the towns of Altoaragón
(Upper Aragon) lost inhabitants in favor of the big cities. Bespén
has not been an exception.
Bespén suffered this sensitive
decrease that it is not not even compensated in the summers, when
temporarily return many of those that left. The aging population's
progressive, like in so many places, made fear for its future.
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