Last modified: 2016-06-03 by ivan sache
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![[Flag]](../images/e/es-j-sor.gif)
Flag of Sorihuela del Guadalimar - Image from the Símbolos de Jaén website, 6 December 2015
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The municipality of Sorihuela del Guadalimar (1,317 inhabitants in 2013; 5,400 ha; municipal website) is located 120 km north-west of Jaén.
Sorihuela was known in the Middle Ages as Sorigüela, being considered as a lugar (place), that is, a small settlement, smaller than a town but bigger than a hamlet. The place might have been the legacy (hijuela) of a nun (sor). Another explanation of the name of the town is related to a knight coming from Sorihuela (Province of Salamanca), who allegedly founded a settlement after the battle of Las Navas de Tolosa. Sorihuela could also be the diminutive form of Soria, the origin of several shepherds who emigrated to the Kingdom of Jaén in the 15th century.
The attribute "del Guadalimar", refering to the river that waters the municipal territory, was added in the early 20th century for the sake of differentiation from Sorihuela in the Province of Salamanca.
During the Muslim period, Sorihuela developed around a fortress protecting the town of Iznatoraf, established in 886 by General Hashim ben ´Abd al-´Aziz. The only remains of the fortress are the donjon and the eastern tower. Sorihuela was reconquered on 5 February 1235 by King Ferdinand III the Saint during his second campaign in northern Andalusia. The place was incorporated, as a hamlet, to Iznatoraf. The area was transfered to Rodrigo Ximénez de Rada, Bishop of Toledo, who established the Adelantamiento of Cazorla. In 1545, Charles V appointed his secretary, Francisco de los Cobos, as the Adelantado of Cazorla; this started a long court case between the bishopric and the Camarasa lineage, descendants of the secretary. The lawsuit ended in 1606 with the reincorporation of most of the Adelantamiento to the Bishopric, excepted the towns of Sorihuela, Villacarrillo, Villanueva del Arzobisopo and Iznatoraf.
In the meantime, Sorihuela was granted the title of villa on 11 April 1595 by Philip II, separating from Iznatoraf.
Ivan Sache, 6 December 2015
The flag of Sorihuela del Guadalimar (video) is diagonally divided green-red per bend sinister with the municipal coat of arms in the center.
The coat of arms of Sorihuela del Guadalimar is prescribed by Decree No. 3,673, adopted on 19 December 1975 by the Spanish Government and published on 19 December 1976 in the Spanish official gazette, No. 25, p. 1,928 (text). This was confirmed by a Resolution adopted on 30 November 2004 by the Directorate General of the Local Administration and published on 20 December 2004 in the official gazette of Andalusia, No. 246, pp. 28,986-29,002 (text).
The coat of arms is described as follows:
Coat of arms: Per pale, 1. Vert a castle or masoned sable, 2. Gules a sword argent hilted or. The shield surmounted by a Royal crown closed.
The castle recalls the old fortress of Sorihuela, while the sword recalls that the town belonged to Cazorla for centuries.
[Símbolos de las Entidades Locales de Andalucía. Jaén (PDF file)]
Ivan Sache, 6 December 2015
