The Casa de la Encomienda in Abanilla
Municipal services, the lending library and an occasional events venue in the centre of Abanilla
Just a short stroll down the Calle de San José from the Town Hall of Abanilla is the Plaza de la Encomienda, which houses the largest building in the town and one of the most important both from a historical point of view and in current everyday life.
The Casa de la Encomienda was basically the headquarters of the administrative and business operations of the military-religious Order of Calatrava towards the end of its centuries in control of Abanilla (see the history of Abanilla) and it was here that the members of the Order received their “diezmo” taxes from the local population. These taxes were usually paid as a proportion – and quite a large proportion! - of the production on the agricultural land around Abanilla, and therefore space had to be provided to store large quantities of cereals, wine, olive oil, fruit and many other items of food and drink.
Nowadays Abanilla appears to be a fairly modest town, but nonetheless the municipality occupies an area of over 230 square kilometres, hence the need for the Order of Calatrava to provide itself with such a capacious storage facility. Some of the large wine casks were buried in the floor to a depth of 1.5 metres, and the power and influence of the administrators is made quite clear to all observers by the imposing exterior of the building.
The first construction work on the hub of the Order of Calatrava administration in Abanilla was in the mid-18th century. However, the confiscations of ecclesiastical properties 100 years later led to the Order being expelled from the town.
The building then became a school until 1990, and now belongs to the Town Hall, which has made good use of it: it is home to the municipal library – which is worth a look just to appreciate the arched ceiling! - the youth centre, the women’s association, the Moros y Cristianos fiestas committee, an exhibition area and various administrative departments.
However, importance has been placed on retaining as much of the original architecture as possible, and the building maintains many of its original elements.
In strict architectural terms the Casa de la Encomienda belongs to the Murcia baroque style, but it is a rather austere version of the baroque, probably on account of its relationship with the Order of Calatrava. The exterior finishing is almost entirely brickwork, while inside the arches which can today be seen in the library are the most characteristic feature. There are two interior patios with arched cloisters around them.
A very similar building which served the same purpose can be seen in Calasparra.
The main entrance to the building and to all of the facilities and services located inside is on Calle Encomienda.
The Order of Calatrava and Abanilla
The Order of Calatrava was one of the powerful religious and military orders which controlled various of the towns and cities of Murcia in the past, and was founded in the 12th century, an age when the Christian monarchs of Spain needed all the help they could get to recover land from the Moors, defend it and administer the re-conquered territory.
This was the case of Abanilla following the Reconquista of Murcia in the 13th century, although it was not until 200 years later that the knights of the Order took control. At the centre of their local administration was the Casa de la Encomienda, which is also sometimes known by the name of a “Comendador” (the official rank of the head of the Order in Abanilla), Juan José de Austria: indeed, it is possible that it was this man who oversaw the construction of the building in the 18th century.
This was the age when many of the other most important monumental buildings of Abanilla also appeared, including the Town Hall bearing the coat of arms of Fernando VI flanked by two Crosses of Calatrava.
By this time the cross was always depicted in red, although it had originally been black, a change which was made following the Battle of Alarcos in 1195. This was the moment when the forces of the Moorish commander Abu Amir Muhammad ben Abi Amir al-Ma’afirí, better known as Almanzor, captured the old city of Calatrava. It is said that the defenders preferred to die fighting than to flee, and the resulting bloodshed was commemorated in the colour of the Order’s cross.
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