Lucena () is a Spanish city and municipality, in the province of Córdoba, autonomous community of Andalusia, 60 km southeast of the provincial capital Córdoba. Its circa 42,000 people makes Lucena the second largest municipality in the province after Córdoba. It is located at the conjunction of important highways in the geographical center of Andalusia. People from Lucena are called lucentinos. The city was originally known as Eliossana, etymologically reinterpreted as deriving from the Hebrew Elí hoshanna, "May God save us". The name in Arabic is Al-Yussana.
Geography
Lucena is situated on the Lucena River, a minor tributary of the Genil, on an important crossroads at the very center of Andalusia.
Over 90 percent of the population lives to the northeast of the city district (término municipal).
History
In early times Lucena was inhabited almost exclusively by Jews who had arrived together with its founders; hence it was called "Jews' City", a nickname also applied to Granada and Tarragona. The Jews of Lucena, who carried on extensive trade and industries, were, according to the 11th-century Muslim geographer, Mohamed al-Edrisi, richer than those of any other city. They enjoyed the same freedom as their correligionists in the large Muslim cities. Their rabbi, who was elected by the entire community, was granted special privileges and acted as judge in the civil and criminal cases arising in the community. The Jews lived peaceably until the Almoravides came into power.
At the beginning of the 11th century, several important Jewish scholars lived in Lucena. Isaac Alfasi founded a large Talmudic academy in Lucena, and here also Isaac ibn Ghayyat, Isaac ibn Albalia, and Joseph ibn Migash were prominent.
Lucena was taken from the Moors in 1240 by king Ferdinand III of Castile, but it remained as frontier village for centuries. In fact, it was in the attempt to recapture it that King Boabdil of Granada was taken prisoner in 1483.
The parish church dates from the ending of the 15th century. Our Lady of Araceli is an image brought from Rome in the 16th century and is the patron of Lucena, canonically crowned in 1948.
The chief industries are the manufacture of furniture, industrial refrigerators, wine, bronze lamps and pottery, especially the large earthenware jars (tinajas) used in the past throughout Spain for the storage of oil and wine, some of which hold more than 300 gallons. Matches also used to be made there. There is considerable trade in agricultural produce. The horse fair in September was famous throughout Andalusia, but since the last decades of the 20th century there is only a fair like in most towns in Andalusia.
Also from Lucena (Córdoba) was Abraham of Lucena (Portuguese: Abraão de Lucena), a rabbi who founded the first synagogue in the United States.
During construction of the city's southern ring road in 2006, Lucena's ancient Jewish cemetery was discovered. With 346 catalogued graves, it is the largest Jewish cemetery excavated in Spain. One of the oldest gravestones with Hebrew letters at the site is dated to as early as the 8th century CE. Other remains discovered during the cemetery's excavation were dated to the period between 1000 and 1050 CE.
Easter celebrations - Semana Santa
Easter, or Semana Santa, is the most important celebration taking place yearly in Lucena, just like in most parts of Spain. However, Lucena's Semana Santa, declared of Special Tourist Interest, is well known for its peculiar and unique way of porting or carrying the "pasos" or processions. All these "pasos" are formed by at least one sculpture, most of the time hundreds of years old. They are carried on shoulders as nowhere else in Andalusia, all porters uncovered (unlike the Seville way) and at the same level (unlike the Málaga way). The way processions are carried in Lucena is called "santería", and it is a particular trait to the city. Santería can best be appreciated on Easter Thursday (Jueves Santo) where 9 "pasos" take the streets. Not to be missed are the Cristo de la Columna, by most renowned sculptor Pedro Roldán, created in 1675, and the impressive Cristo de la Sangre, brought from the Spanish Americas in the beginning of the 17th century.
Best Semana Santa days in Lucena are Palm Sunday (5), Tuesday (7), Thursday (9) and Saturday (1).
Palm Sunday sees 5 "pasos" on the streets belonging to 3 different congregations and churches. They come together at a certain point creating a single procession. Palm Sunday highlights the Cristo de la Bondad and the Oración en el Huerto and the Madonna de la Estrella.