Elorrio

Historia

Elorrio is a town and municipality located in the province of Biscay, in the Basque Country, Spain. Elorrio is part of the comarca of Durangaldea and has a population of 7.117 inhabitants as of 2007 according to the Spanish National Statistics Institute.ToponymyIn the Basque language, elorrio is the word for the red fruit (haw) of the common hawthorn. The Basque word elorri means "hawthorn". The coat of arms of the town shows a hawthorn. Colloquially, the town was called Elorrixo in Basque.HistoryThe Argiñeta tombs that today lie just outside the town of Elorrio are both pre-Christian and Christian . In 1053, the San Agustín de Etxebarria monastery was founded, which in time was renovated and eventually became present-day church . In 1356, Don Tello, Lord of Biscay, officially created Elorrio on the land where the monastery stood, as a means of creating a town to defend his borders against invasion from neighboring Gipuzkoa. In 1468 the town was the site of a major battle between warring clan factions in the Basque Country . However, incidents of this type decreased, and between the sixteenth and the eighteenth centuries, the town's fortunes grew, gaining renown for its iron-forges, and especially the production of lances.