Loja, Granada

Loja
—  Municipality  —
Bell Tower of the Church of the Incarnation.
Flag Coat of arms
Location of Loja in the Province of Granada.
Loja Location in Spain
Coordinates: 37°10′N 04°9′W
Country	Spain
Autonomous community	Andalusia
Province	Granada
Comarca	Loja
Judicial district	Loja
Founded	9th century BC
Government
• Mayor	Francisco Joaquín Camacho Borrego (2011) (PP)
Area
• Total	454.7 km2 (175.6 sq mi)
Elevation	448 m (1,470 ft)
Population (2008)
• Total	22,137
• Density	49/km2 (130/sq mi)
Demonym	Lojeños
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	18300
Official language(s)
Website	Official website

Loja is a town in southern Spain, situated at the western limit of the province of Granada. It is surrounded by the so-called Sierras de Loja, of which the highest peak, Sierra Gorda, stands 1,671 metres above sea-level.

Formerly the Moorish town of Medina Lawsa, Loja was captured by the Christians in 1486, during the Reconquista. Isabella I of Castile called it the "flower among thorns".

Main sights

The town's Islamic heritage is still evident in the quarter of the Alcazaba, a Moorish fortress of which most of the walls and towers remain.

Other sights include:

• Convent of Santa Clara 816th century)
• Convento of St. Francis of Assisi, includign a 16th century cloister
• Church of the Incarnation (16th-17th centuries)
• Church of San Gabriel (16th century)
• Church of Santa Catalina (16th-17th century)
• Church of N.tra S.ra Virgen de la Caridad (16th century)
• Hermitages of Jesus Nazareno, san Roque, and Calvario, 16th century chapels and sanctuaries
• Caseron de los Alcaides Cristianos (17th century)
• Palacio de Narvaez (17th century)
• Fuente de la Mora ("Fountain of the Moorish maiden"), also known as los venticinco canos, a fountain where waters from different springs are made to flow from twenty-five tubes.

References

• Days in the Sun by Martin Andersen Nexo (1929)