Tarna

Tarna is one of ten parishes (administrative divisions) in Caso, a municipality within the province and autonomous community of Asturias, in northern Spain.

Tarna
Parish
Tarna
Coordinates: 43.116667°N 5.233333°W / 43.116667; -5.233333
CountrySpain
Autonomous communityAsturias
ProvinceAsturias
MunicipalityCaso

The population is 100 (INE 2006).

Tarna
Tarna Village view

Tarna Before the Spanish Civil War

Origins

The origin of Tarna is the subject of discussion. Because the town’s population has many Jewish surnames, it has been popularly believed that it may be an enclave founded by Sephardim, although its strategic position as a passage between the Cantabrian Coast and the Meseta suggests that the place could have some kind of occupation from the Cantabrian Wars or even in the pre-Roman era. This possibility is supported by the fact that there are nearby Roman influences, such as Campo de Caso and Puente de Arco. Unfortunately, there is no archaeological evidence to confirm this.

The earliest surviving reference to the town of Tarna is a donation letter from 1142 in which Alfonso VII donates the Villa de Tarna to his butler Martín Díaz. [1]

Since the term "villa" was still used in the Roman sense, it is possible to conjecture that Tarna was then some kind of farm or a large house that dominated the area by way of agricultural exploitation.

Middle Ages

For geographical reasons, during the High Middle Ages Tarna was immediately part of the territories dominated by the Asturian Monarchy in the Reconquest, and during the Low Middle Ages subsists as an agricultural, livestock and artisan enclave. The existence of a Camino Real that crossed the town until the 20th century indicates its importance as a natural route. In writings from that stage [2] it is occasionally called "Villa Tarana"

18th Century

On December 9, 1774, Tarna was devastated after a violent flood. The Nalón River was naturally blocked for days and the reservoir was suddenly released, along with a large accumulation of logs and rocks. It’s documented in a letter sent to the King Carlos III. [3]

The request for help was answered, it was specified in an aid of a thousand reales of alms after a letter from the Cathedral of Oviedo dated February 6. [4]

A popular legend originated from the flood, saying that the Tarninos threw the image of their patron San Pedro into the river, when in reality it was dragged by the flood to La Foz. A chapel was built there in 1786 that has housed it ever since.

The flood, known as “Argayu de los Picones”, was not only catastrophic for the Tarninos, but also had immediate repercussions on the Asturian communications system. The Marqués de Vista Alegre, attorney of the Caso council, also wrote to the King in 1775 asking for help in the matter, arguing that the Camino Real de Tarna is key and must once again be passable for the general benefit. [5] The letter illustrates the importance of communications by Tarna for the succession of councils that are between Caso and Villaviciosa. Furthermore, it shows that the town was not an isolated place but rather a busy enclave that linked the coast and the plateau.

These neighborhood attempts to provide themselves with a competent teacher in 1774 perhaps explain that by 1803 the teacher of Bezanes was a tarnín. [6]

19th Century

In the 19th century, Tarna participated in the Peninsular War against Napoleonic troops. In March 1809 royal troops stationed in Tarna, Maraña, and Sobrecastiello, and received a supply of food and supplies through a brigade made up of a neighbor from each town in the council. The complexity of this solution leads to the direction and composition of said brigade being transferred by contract to a single individual: [7]

At the start of 1810, Juan Díaz Porlier was part of the army of Asturias with about 1,000 men, who made up the flying division called Cantabria. After a recent incursion through the La Rioja area, his group was stationed south of the Cantabrian Mountains, in the part of the port of Tarna, near the border with León. By January 25, General Bonet's division, which had launched an offensive from Cantabria with some 5,300 men, had managed to occupy Llanes, Ribadesella, and Infiesto. In February of the same year, Porlier came from Tarna to Infiesto. He defeated a French detachment capturing many prisoners and Mandes to cut off the enemy's communications with Cangas de Onís. [8]

During the war against the French, the area known as Las Torres (gorges about 5km from Tarna along the road that leads to La Foz) was fortified. In 1816, after the war, representatives of peoples from all over the council met in Tarna to discuss how to claim recognition for the services rendered [9]

The cemetery is dated from 1834, still existing today, which is located in the lower area of the town, next to the river.

The Carlist Wars also had repercussions in Tarna, with the Almansa Regiment stationed there in 1836 [10] Tarna was one of the “locations” of the famous “Gómez Expedition” of that year.

General Espartero tried to catch up with Gómez from the Leonese town of La Uña, having to advance across the field. However, since he was unable to access the descent paths to the town, he had to withdraw. [11]

A notable event in the mid-nineteenth century is the destruction of the Tarna Inn by an avalanche. The inn, which was located at the entrance of the town, was buried by snow in 1843 with several fatalities as a result and explains the traditional and conscious refusal of the neighbors to build in the western part of the town.

20th Century


The 20th century is marked by the strong emigration to the Americas that began at the end of the 19th century.

Various neighbors stand out, who managed to make their fortune in several Latin American countries and bring modern ideas to Tarna. From necessarily modest starting points, many Tarninos managed to position themselves in those societies, much more sophisticated, until they become what we know as Indianos [12] The residents who remain in the town maintain a modest but feverish subsistence economy, which is supported by four areas:

  • Tillage, with special importance of legumes and harvest, on which the livestock depended.
  • Livestock, mainly cattle, but also cavalry, vital for transport, as well as the raising of farm animals such as pigs, chickens, and so on.
  • Crafts, with a marked accent on the manufacture of madreñas, a product in which the town became a major exporter, both to other Asturian populations and to areas of the province of León, until well into the 1980s.
  • Incipient service sector: Various "winches" that combined the function of bar, grocer, pension, and restaurant.

1916-Villa Lucila - La Casona

One special case of the emigration from Tarna to the Americas and its effect on the town is constituted by the “Villa Lucila” farm built by Los Simones in 1916 in the corral known as “La Casona” (The name of La Casona already appears in documentation from 1758 and has nothing to do with the 1916 house, [13] a popular source of confusion).

Its silhouette should stand out in the town in a clear way. It was a recognizable element that characterized Tarna for 20 years. It was a medium sized villa, built by José Simón González, who built it as a summer home. He had started working in a bakery in Cuba and later carried sacks. At that time he was running an important business network with his cousins José Simón Corral (who was nicknamed “Corralín” to differentiate him), Tomás Simón García and Pelayo Simón Santos. [14]

The town was called Villa Lucila in honor of Lucila Simón Torres, wife of José Simón González, and it was commissioned to some builders from Sama. Since the current road dates from 1935, the construction materials were brought through the Camino Real, which in 1916 still acted as a “national highway” between the plateau and Asturias.

The house was notable for its total of five floors, at a time when most of the houses in Tarna had ground and first floors. It was characterized by a composition with a strongly symmetrical trend with a square plan, and the south face distinguished by a three-level gallery. This was a common element at the time, aimed at capturing solar energy and tempering the house.[15]

The size of the house is explained because its purpose was to accommodate several families at the same time. The Simones spent their summers in their native Tarna, and they even financed some improvement works that otherwise could not have been undertaken, such as the public laundry and schools.[16]

192?-The Laundry Building

Throughout the 1920s, the Simones built the town's laundry (which still exists, adjacent to Villa Lucila). It is a simple, rectangular construction that allowed the neighbors to wash their clothes nearby, instead of the river.[17]

1929-The Schools

In 1929, Tarna received one of its main symbols when the schools were built, financed by the Simonese. In the upper part of the town, a plinth of great proportions is terraced by means of a retaining wall in stone, still observable today, and on it, a building with a U-shaped plan is erected. This building suffered strong wear after the civil war when it was used to house the battalions of prisoners. It would be remade in 1957, [18]. The original building had a ‘boys wing’ and a ‘girls wing’, an outdoor patio for the summer and interior hall that served as recreation in winter. The 1929 building and the 1957 building can be externally differentiated in the composition of the south façade, facing the town, with a succession of semicircular arches.

1935-The General Highway

In 1935, the general highway was opened to traffic, a milestone that shortened and facilitated the connection between Asturias and Castilla. Compared to the Camino Real, this new road is a modern means perfectly suitable for road traffic, after long efforts to save the rugged orography of the area.

Tarna in the Civil War

The Spanish Civil War had significant consequences for the people of Tarna and the physical buildings in town. On July 18, 1936, a part of the Army attempted a coup against the Republic but failed: Civil war broke out in Spain, and in a few days, two zones were clearly defined: One, in the power of the government, and another, in the power of the rebels. Tarna is in the republican zone, while the neighboring province of León falls almost entirely into the hands of the coup plotters. The strategic position of Port of Tarna faced heavy fighting between both armies, which led to the destruction of the town.

Initial stage

During the first days of battle, there is a rapid mobilization of the workers who manage to reduce the coup plotters in Asturias: Faced with the appearance that the coup has already passed, more than 2,000 Asturian militiamen immediately leave[19] towards León and Ponferrada, but Aranda, colonel of Oviedo, takes advantage of that moment to rebel and launch their forces into the street. As a result, the city of Oviedo is surrounded with Aranda and his army inside.

The Republican attempt to conquer León is thus forcibly postponed, and in a matter of weeks, the battlefront is stabilized in a line parallel to the Cantabrian mountain range that includes the Port of Tarna.

This line is drawn as a union of various strengths: [20]

  • Port of Leitariegos
  • Vega de los Viejos
  • San Pedro de Luna
  • Magdalena area
  • La Robla
  • Tarna
  • The Pontoon

Soon the republican forces militarily control the area of the Case Council including Tarna. In this context, Villa Lucila, is occupied as a field hospital [21] and command headquarters.

Throughout 1936, this front line maintained regular battles but remained stable, since both sides were living in the Asturian West. Francoist troops advance from Galicia with the intention of reaching Oviedo. Republican forces are absorbed by the task of containing this attack from the west and at the same time trying to defeat Aranda to take Oviedo before the enemy arrives from the west.[22]

They enacted several attempts to recover Oviedo. The strongest attack takes place on October 8, 1936, which encircles the town itself: fighting street by street, but it is not possible to dominate the city. Finally, the Francoists manage to establish a "corridor" through Grado and take Oviedo on the 17th. The Republicans tried to cut this "corridor" on several occasions, with 50,000 men, all their aviation and a large part of their artillery.[23] The struggle through the "Corridor of Grado", stopped and resumed three times, [24], consuming enormous efforts on both sides.

Meanwhile, the Tarna area maintained a "containment" role since there is a balance of forces. The most strategic points are fortified. Even today, concrete constructions such as the Fort of Alboleya, the Fort of Guaranga or the two forts that exist in the Port of Tarna itself, one on the Maraña road and another can be seen in the surroundings of Tarna (on the road to Las Signals, respectively).

These fortifications are only a small part of the military deployment of the time, which was characterized by large areas protected by trenches, observation points, barbed wire, and a “no-man's-land” space between the two armies. Each republican battalion (except casualties and wounded) consisted of 500 men, and in Tarna three are established: 252, 228, and 231 [25] This huge contingent, due to its own agglomeration, alters the daily life of the neighbors. In moments of calm, the soldiers go down from the port to the town and are served a liquor nicknamed "parapet jumper" similar to brandy. Problems of all kinds arise from the large concentration of troops, including an uncontrolled environment.

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References



  1. Martínez Testón, Gloria (2004). Coses Nuestres Memoria Histórica de Tarna. Oviedo: Graficas Baraza SL. p. 19. OCLC 433143262.
  2. Calvo, Don Aurelio (1957). San Pedro de Eslonza. Madrid: C S I C Inst Enrique Florez Diputacion provincial de Leon. p. 288.
  3. Martínez Testón, Gloria (2004). Coses Nuestres Memoria Histórica de Tarna. Oviedo: Graficas Baraza SL. p. 111. OCLC 433143262.
  4. Martínez Testón, Gloria (2004). Coses Nuestres Memoria Histórica de Tarna. Oviedo: Graficas Baraza SL. p. 113. OCLC 433143262.
  5. Martínez Testón, Gloria (2004). Coses Nuestres Memoria Histórica de Tarna. Oviedo: Graficas Baraza SL. p. 114. OCLC 433143262.
  6. Martínez Testón, Gloria (2004). Coses Nuestres Memoria Histórica de Tarna. Oviedo: Graficas Baraza SL. p. 182. OCLC 433143262.
  7. Martínez Testón, Gloria (2004). Coses Nuestres Memoria Histórica de Tarna. Oviedo: Graficas Baraza SL. p. 188. OCLC 433143262.
  8. {{https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_D%C3%ADaz_Porlier }}
  9. Martínez Testón, Gloria (2004). Coses Nuestres Memoria Histórica de Tarna. Oviedo: Graficas Baraza SL. p. 189. OCLC 433143262.
  10. Martínez Testón, Gloria (2004). Coses Nuestres Memoria Histórica de Tarna. Oviedo: Graficas Baraza SL. p. 210. OCLC 433143262.
  11. Martínez Testón, Gloria (2004). Coses Nuestres Memoria Histórica de Tarna. Oviedo: Graficas Baraza SL. p. 212. OCLC 433143262.
  12. Martínez Testón, Gloria (2004). Coses Nuestres Memoria Histórica de Tarna. Oviedo: Graficas Baraza SL. p. 355. OCLC 433143262.
  13. Martínez Testón, Gloria (2004). Coses Nuestres Memoria Histórica de Tarna. Oviedo: Graficas Baraza SL. p. 159. OCLC 433143262.
  14. Martínez Testón, Gloria (2004). Coses Nuestres Memoria Histórica de Tarna. Oviedo: Graficas Baraza SL. p. 356. OCLC 433143262.
  15. Martínez Testón, Gloria (2004). Coses Nuestres Memoria Histórica de Tarna. Oviedo: Graficas Baraza SL. OCLC 433143262.
  16. Martínez Testón, Gloria (2004). Coses Nuestres Memoria Histórica de Tarna. Oviedo: Graficas Baraza SL. OCLC 433143262.
  17. Martínez Testón, Gloria (2004). Coses Nuestres Memoria Histórica de Tarna. Oviedo: Graficas Baraza SL. OCLC 433143262.
  18. De Saro, Francisco (1957). Proyecto de reconstrucción de las escuelas unitarias para la localidad adoptada de Tarna. Oviedo: AGA. p. 1.
  19. Rodríguez Muñoz, Javier (2007). ”1936-1939. La Guerra Civil. Oviedo: Nobel. p. Tomo4. OCLC El Siglo XX en imágenes Check |oclc= value (help).
  20. De Blas, Juan Antonio (1986). ”Se fijan los frentes” La Guerra Civil en Asturias, Crónica general de España. Gijón: Ediciones Júcar. p. 32.
  21. Martínez Testón, Gloria (2004). Coses Nuestres Memoria Histórica de Tarna. Oviedo: Graficas Baraza SL. p. 399. OCLC AS-2.972-2004 Check |oclc= value (help).
  22. De Blas, Juan Antonio (1986). ”Se fijan los frentes” La Guerra Civil en Asturias, Crónica general de España. Gijón: Ediciones Júcar. p. 257.
  23. DeMiguel y Sánchez, Jesus y Antonio (2004). La Guerra Civil Española, dia a dia 1936 1939. Madrid: Libsa. p. 73. OCLC 84-662-0631-0 Check |oclc= value (help).
  24. Empty citation (help)
  25. González Prieto y Argüelles, L.A. y J.L. (2007). ”La Maginot Cantábrica. 50 rutas por escenarios de la Guerra Civil en Asturias y León. Gijón: Editorial Desnivel. p. 176.
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