Last modified: 2020-04-04 by ivan sache
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The municipality of Ontígola (4,279 inhabitants in 2018 vs. 677 in 1950 and 1,250 in 2000; 4,149 ha) is located on the border with the Community of Madrid, 50 km north-east of Toledo, 15 km north-west of Ocaña, and 5 km south-east of Aranjuez.
Ontígola was named for a small fountain (Latin, fonticula / honticula; Spanish, fuentecilla) that supplied water from the Ocaña plateau.
Ontígola was first docuemented in 1139, as a dependency of Oreja. The village wwas subsequently transferred to Ocaña, a town ruled by the Order of Saint James. A charter was granted to the town in 1202 by Gonzalo Rodríguez, Master of the Order.
Ontígola once had jurisdcition on Aranjuez and Alpajés, the latter being known as a borough of the town.
[Asociación Comarcal Don Quijote de la Mancha]
Oreja, now a deserted and ruined village located a few km north-east of Ontígola, was known during the Roman period as Aurelia. The Muslims built a castle overlooking river Tagus, as part of the Toledo defense line. Seized in 1085 by the Christians, the castle was reconquered in 1113 by the Moors in the aftermath of the disaster of Uclés (1108); Mazdalí used it in 1132 as a base to attack Christian troops heading to Toledo and attempting to cross the Tagus.
In September 1139, the castle surrendered to Alfonso VII after six months of siege. The king immediatly re-settled the town, granting a charter that offered a big territory to the new colonists. Restored in 1171, the castle was transferred by Alfonso VIII, together with the town, to the Order of Saint James, which was in charge of re-settling the valley of the Tagus. With time, the Commandery of Oreja was split into four smallest commanderies.
Transferred in the 15th century to Gutierre de Cárdenas, Oreja was successively owned by the Counts of Colmenar and the Dukes of Frías. Between 1534 and 1543, the commanderies of Otos, Oreja, Aceca and Alpajés were incorporated to Aranjuez. Oreja progressively vanished, its population moving to the bigger neighboring towns of Colmenar, Aranjuez and Ontígola.
[Otra Iberia, 27 October 2013]
Ivan Sache, 10 September 2019
The flag of Ontígola (photo,
photo,
photo,
photo,
photo,
photo,
photo) is prescribed by an Order issued on 15 February 1994 by the Government of Castilla-La Mancha and published on 23 February 1994 in the official gazette of Castilla-La Mancha, No. 13, pp. 940-941 (text).
The flag is described as follows:
Flag: Rectangular, one and a half time longer than width (2:3), counter-quartered, the first and fourth quarters, white with a Cross of Saint James, the second and third quarters, green with a white castle masoned sable port and windows of the same.
The coat of arms of Ontígola is prescribed by an Order issued on 15 February 1994 by the Government of Castilla-La Mancha and published on 23 February 1994 in the official gazette of Castilla-La Mancha, No. 13, pp. 940-941 (text).
The coat of arms is described as follows:
Coat of arms: Spanish shield. Per pale, 1. Or a castle gules masoned sable port and windows azure on rocks vert charged with waves argent and azure, 2. Argent a Cross of Saint James gules. The shield surmounted by a Royal crown closed.
Ivan Sache, 10 September 2019