History, architecture and nature in the Botanical Garden of Santa Catalina

• GETAWAY The most beautiful villages of Matarraña, Spanish Tuscany

• LEISURE The five most beautiful (and unknown) towns in Vera Extremadura

The

(Santa Katalina Lorategi Botanikoa in Basque) is defined as "a natural and inclusive space for everyone", whether children or adults, lovers of nature or history. Located in the Alava municipality of

, in the surroundings of the

, it has

of extension and is divided into three climatic zones:

. As soon as you cross the arch of its entrance, in the so-called

, a unique setting is palpable, the result of the fusion of history, nature and architecture nestled within a natural holm oak forest. At first, it is the universe of colors and shapes that create

that quickly attracts the eye, but as the first steps are taken inside the garden, it is the runes of the Santa Catalina convent that gives name to those that monopolize the attention.

The convent is located next to the original tower house, built at the beginning of the 14th century, in times of feudal revolts, by

. In 1407, when the area was pacified, the so-called

lost its defensive use, so the descendants of the Martínez Iruña family, who became one of the most powerful families in the region, left the place to move to Vitoria, where they built the current tower of

. The construction of the convent, in the shape of an L and in charge of closing a space between the palace and the church, was left to the

, who remained in the place until 1472, when the relationship with the Iruña reached a point of no return.

The façade of the convent is preserved.

The old defensive tower gave way in the 16th century to an imposing bell tower.LB BORGES

From this moment, the enclosure was inhabited by

, who built the church taking advantage of the start of the walls of the original tower.

The

was built in the old parade ground of the tower, raising a powerful body in two heights.

In 1835, the confiscation gave way to the march of the monks of the place, and just a year later, within

(1833-1840), the different dependencies were transformed into the headquarters of the troops of the suitor

, who it was not long before it was set on fire by order of the mythical

.

This led to a long period of neglect until in 1999 it was bought by the Iruña de Oca City Council.

Today,

, converted in the 16th century into an impressive bell tower, is the landmark of the ruins and the symbol of the Botanical Garden of Santa Catalina.

At its edge, a steep and modern

leads to a viewpoint located at the height of the belfry, from where the

and the

can be seen in all its splendor

.

The viewpoint, overlooking the Sierra de Badaya and the Llanada Alavesa.LB BORGES

Before reaching the ruins of the convent, you have to go through the

. If in the Claro de Fuego y Aire two climatic zones separate the red flora that represents the van from the white flowers and the wicker spirals that symbolize the air, at this point there are

full of

.

Next to the viewpoint, a

, a permanent exhibition where you can see a dozen specimens of this ancient art of oriental origin, both indigenous and from other latitudes.

In the sunny area, the

was created in 2017

, with several host plants that favor the reproduction and settlement of Lepidoptera and allow hundreds of different species to be spotted in a very small space.

The garden has a space dedicated to bonsai.LB BORGES

Thanks to its climate and location, the botanist tells of the permanent presence of dozens of species of birds such as the

. Present, but more difficult to see, are

, although to solve it there are numerous wooden sculptures that represent them throughout a garden in which you can see

,

and all kinds of aromatic plants (

...).

Santa Catalina became the first botanical garden in Spain to be certified as

in 2016

The distinction granted by the

(a non-profit organization dedicated to the protection of the night sky, the cultural diffusion of astronomy and sustainable economic development through astro-tourism) recognizes its ability to meet "all the necessary conditions for the stargazing ". As the sun goes down, the sounds of the night are the soundtrack of a unique way to admire the sky on the

, a kind of main square in which concerts are organized and from which guided tours depart to observe the night sky, as well as educational sessions that take place in a Full Dom 360º planetarium.

In addition, on August 10, 2022 it is expected to recover the already famous

.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

Know more

• Basque Country

• sightseeing

PlansThe five most beautiful (and unknown) towns of Vera Extremadura

PlansThe 10 most beautiful walled towns in Spain

PlansRestaurante Abascal, the new trendy place in Chamberí where everyone wants to go

See links of interest

• The Palm

• Last News

• What

• Work calendar

• Home THE WORLD TODAY

• Master Investigation Journalism

• How to set up Chromecast

• How to delete an Instagram account

• Real Sociedad B - Ponferradina

• Live: Turkish GP

• FC Cartagena - Ibiza

• Coosur Real Betis - Barça

• Final: Spain - France, live