Huesca temática

Number 175 -February - April of 2013 Spanish language Principal menu


Bandaliés village

The peace in the flatness
tutelaried for the mountain

    A place in Loporzano, in the Huesca province (Hole of Huesca), that had 48 inhabitants in year 2010. Its altitude is 502 meters on the sea level. It is from Huesca scarcely 10 kilometers. The gentile is "bandaliesino".
    We are in the Somontano Oscense, (under the mountains of Huesca) watching the top of the Tozal of the Sierra de Guara, but in the near plain, near the Flumen river and more near still of the Ripa brook, to nine and half kilometers from the capital, going down already the lowland where forested foothills fold and blur in order that the horizon turns to be wide and clean; the traveler gets that the view is lost in the landscape that surrounds him. Only when raising the eyes will be able to contemplate, -in ocher color, gray or blue azure, according to the distances- the superb undulation of summits that struggle to reach the clouds, that get with full frequency.
     To two and half kilometers from the Huesca -Barbastro highway (those of Lérida) settles placidly Bandaliés, an entity of population that seems sleep by secular silences; municipality long ago, place of Loporzano at present time. Following for the secondary road it is left behind the deviation for Loporzano and Vadiello. Down, to 502 meters of altitude, the Bandaliés houses are shown timidly to the highway. Almost it's possible surround to it the urban nucleus, without entering in it.
    On the back side, towards the Ayera locality, the waters of an old raft proclaimed the droughts of other times; enea grows in the center of the pond, up to populating it almost completely. Some youngs walk along the immediacy, there are ones still. But scarcely they are seen between week, except the Saturdays and festives. There is days and hours in which the village appears abandoned. It's not seen a person in the streets and squares. However, in the walls near the road shines a word as a larrge characters: ~Pottery~. It will be repeated again in order that the traveler does not lose himself. In this case, the circumvallation to the village takes place already for an inside road.
     The pottery put in motion for Mr. Julio Abió Berdiel has been recuperating, by force to turns and more turns, seven centuries of artisan tradition, that is as much as remounts the Bandaliés popular ceramics history. There is who secures, even, that the place was a center of the Aragonese pottery. The projecting pieces of the lathe, modeled for the hands of the potter, are lined up waiting entering the oven, walk of its definitive process.
     The fact is that Mr. Julio Abió decided return a day, around year 1979, to insufflate new life to the old pottery of the Carrera family. So, the rhythmic turn around of the lathe transmitted new existential beats to the population. The potter of Bandaliés had drunk in those same sources,he had been formed there, by molding the mud with his own hands, and wanted return to his origins in order that resurged, again, the popular ceramics.
   Mr. Julio Abió Berdiel was proposing, in a conscious way, find the lost root in the becoming of the times. His labour is admirable and well deserves the public recognition. On the door of the house, humble in your external appearance, repeats the same already known word: "Pottery of Bandaliés" or "Pottery". It had a time, years ago, in which a climbing rose plant was lifted up for the facade; reached the balcony and the window, and one time in the roof, widened your color and your aroma by spreading it for the environment. It is as a symbol that the life turned to offer us the better essences.
      The traveler is surrounded by big houses, and noble buildings of ashlar stone, big gateways and heraldic stones; faithful indication of the influence of Montearagón Abbey.

      Bandaliés, although assents in the flatness, has the sketch of its streets and squares in different levels, with soft slopes. It shines, in two of its corners, both sources. The building of the parochial church, of monumental proportions, appear previous to the XVI century, although well could be constructed over other more ancient. The style is of ashlar stone and has square bell tower, of two bodies, the first of stone also, and the second of brick, with the edges killed. It ascends to scarce height and comes to end with a species of terrace, with its banister-shaped correspondent. It give the sensation that the tower did not reach to be finished.
      On the facade hangs a tombstone where figures engraved the date of the last restoration (in 1967) and from then dates also the consecration of the main altar. Some houses show extraordinary renaissance gates, with the artistically overworked stone by forming symmetrical leavings. Surprises and amazes its simple contemplation, together the nobiliary shields and to the grates of forge.
      The town appears plunged in the calm of its legendary past, that surely was just so quiet, because the major census of inhabitants that is remembered scarcely exceeds the two and half hundreds. At present scarcely are fifty inhabitants, more or less. Impresses so much silence between streets and squares, between old mansions where the history remained anchored.

  Click, another photograph

      With the return of the mud was increased the hope of a more intense life, of a different future to the previous one. Somebody talks me about his town, of the treasures that keeps the church. -"If you would see inside... It is beautiful". -¿to who is it dedicated? - "I believe that to the Nativity, birth of the Virgin, -the good woman appears not very sure- because we celebrate Her feasts on 8th September". There is another, on 29th April, in honor of Saint Pedro Martyr. It comes the doubt of who will be the titular of parochial church; if the Nativity, birth of the Virgin or Saint Pedro Martyr. But the detail does not import too. They secure not that would have a hermitage into the municipal place.
      Just as it happens in other places of our earth, Bandaliés encourages itself also the end of week. It likes to breath some peace and a quiet so deep, from 10 kilometers of the capital only. In passing, it exists the possibility of contemplating closely how springs up, day to day, the popular ceramics, until the point that the place recovered its importance as Aragonese Pottery Center. Seven centuries of history and artisan tradition finds today its necessary continuity.

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 You'll be going to Bandalies photograph album   Al fonso Zapater  Manuel Tomé *  Alfonso Zapater
** Manuel Tomé Bosqued


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