The present-day village dates back
to the 8th century, Alpandeire being one of the 1st
towns fortified by the Moslems in La Serrania de Ronda
region. The layout of its streets still reflects the
influence of Andalusi-Arabic culture, and particularly
impressive for the visitor is the large nave of Saint
Anthony of Padua Church, which dates back to the 18th
century. Stories of highwaymen, usually a combination
of reality and legend, are still commonly told in
the area. Alpandeire was home to one of the bloodiest
and most notorious bandits in the Serrania de Ronda,
Antonio Barbaran Jimenez, alias El Barbarán,
who operated in the area in the first half of the
19th century at the head of a band of a dozen outlaws.
Alpandeire has become a meeting and pilgrimage point
for many people wishing to visit the birthplace of
Brother Leopold of Alpandeire (1864-1956), a Capuchin
almoner renowned in Andalusia, whose beatification
has been in progress since 1961.
History
Human presence in Alpandeire’s municipal area
dates back to prehistoric times, as witnessed by archaeological
findings at Cerro de Castillejos and the interesting
Calcolithic dolmens discovered in the Encinas Borrachas
area. The present-day village dates back to 711, being
one of the first in La Serrania de Ronda mountain
range to be fortified by the Moslems. Hamet el Zegri
later took refuge in the castle, from where he monitored
attacks on Ronda. After the expulsion of the morsicos
- Moslem converts to Christianity - in the mid 16th
century, the village and the surrounding area were
left practically abandoned, and Philip III was forced
to issue a decree ordering the repopulation of Alpandeire
as well as its dependencies, Pospitar and Audalazar.
One of the most figure born in the village was Brother
Leopold of Alpandeire (1864-1956), whose real name
was Francisco Tomas de San Juan Bautista Marquez Sanchez.
He rose to fame in the whole of Andalusia as a Capuchin
almoner, living the final years of his life in Granada,
where his mortal remains lie in the crypt of the Capuchin
Church. Moves to beatify him began in 1961.
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