Avila

Avila, the capital of the province of the same name in Spain. It is situated on the river Adaja at a height of 3,000 feet above sea-level, the Guadarama range rising behind it. It was formerly one of the most prosperous cities in Spain. Here Henry IV. was deposed in 1465, and here in 1520 Padilla started the league against Charles V. It possesses a bishopric and a handsome cathedral, but the university has been suppressed. The province has an area of 2,980 square miles.