LERIDA

capital of Lrida provincia, in the comunidad autnoma (autonomous community) of Catalonia, northeastern Spain, on the Segre River near its confluence with the Ebro River. Of Iberian origin, the town then called Ilerda was taken in 49 BC from Pompey (Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus) by Julius Caesar during the Roman Civil War. The site of a Visigothic council (546), Lrida was captured in 713 by the Moors, who called it Lareda or Lerita. It was reconquered in 1149 by Ramn Berenguer IV of Aragon. A university, founded there in the 13th century, was transferred to Cervera (1717) after the War of the Spanish Succession, during which Lrida took the side of the Habsburg archduke Charles. The old cathedral in Byzantine-Gothic style, with a Moorish admixture, was begun in 1203 and consecrated in 1278 but has not been used since 1707; it has been restored and declared a national monument. Other notable buildings include the new cathedral (176181); the Church of San Lorenzo (14th century); the La Pahera Palace with its 13th-century facade, the meeting place of the municipal council; and La Alcazaba (castle). This castle, built in 1149, dominates the older quarter, a maze of narrow streets on the right bank of the Segre. On the left bank are the modern suburbs. The city's economy is based primarily on agriculture; Lrida is well known for its cattle, agricultural, and fruit shows. Industrial development is slight. Pop. (1988 est.) 109,795. provincia, in the comunidad autnoma (autonomous community) of Catalonia, northeastern Spain. It was bounded by France and Andorra to the north and by the provincias of Gerona and Barcelona (east), Tarragona (south), and Zaragoza and Huesca (west). It was formed in 1833 with an area of 4,644 square miles (12,028 square km). With Barcelona, Gerona, and Tarragona, Lrida became one of the four provinces of the newly created autonomous region of Catalonia in 1979. The northern half lies within the Mediterranean sector of the Pyrenees Mountains and contains some of the finest scenery in the whole Pyrenean chain, including the valleys of Aran and Cerdaa and large tracts of forest. It is watered by many rivers, the largest of which is the Segre, a left-bank tributary of the Ebro, with important hydroelectric power developments. The southern half, in contrast, is a rolling, well-irrigated plain stretching to the Ebro. Agriculture is well mechanized, and the province does a thriving trade in wine, wool, timber, and cattle, but the importance of the traditional mule and horse trade is diminishing. The olive oil produced in the town of Borjas Blancas is known for its purity. Fruits, especially pears and lemons, are exported. Industrial development is slight, centred on the provincial capital, Lrida city. Seo de Urgel, near the headwaters of the Segre, is an episcopal see with a close historical connection with Andorra. Pop. (1988 est.) 354,026.