Lebrija and its Dionysian foundation
According to legend, the Lebrija wine-cellar was founded by Bacchus, the Roman version of the Greek god of wine, Dionysus. And what's more, an extraordinary event occurred in the area of El Fontanal. As is so often the case, it involves mythology and apparitions, a place closely related to water, near the Parque San Benito, a fairy tale place that supplied the population with water.
Two thousand years ago people were already talking about Lebrija, called Nebrissa Veneria by the Romans, calling it "the place where they pay special homage to the cult of Bacchus", and even the humanist Elio Antonio de Nebrija clearly stated that Dionisio founded Nebrija, a town in Hispania Baetica with a port next to the lake of Ligustino, an Atlantic estuary that is now a marshland.
There are numerous references to the connection between the god Bacchus and Lebrija. The poet and politician Silius Italicus, naming the towns that were followers of General Hannibal in the Second Punic War, also said the following with regard to the municipality: "The place that pays special cult to Bacchus, there where light satyrs and the Maenads have their abode, where they celebrate the mysteries of that God at night, covering their heads with a deerskin".
This is how the myth of the founding of Lebrija by Dionysius-Bacchus begins and who Rodrigo Caro finds identified in certain authors with Noah. As the writer understands, Lebrija is one of the oldest towns in Spain and also "possibly one of the first in the world".
Elio Antonio de Nebrija, the most illustrious citizen of the town, in the prologue to his History says: "Dionisio, who was also called Father Líbero, arrived in Spain with an army, moved not by a desire to dominate it, but also to achieve glory. That is why as the winner he did not leave any other memory of his coming, other than having founded in Baetica, surrounded by the estuaries of the Guadalquivir, Nebrija, my homeland".
Under the influence of Dionysian spirit, as you stroll along the streets inside the walls of Roman Lebrija, you get the impression that you are in a town that is friendly, peaceful, generous and with deep agricultural roots (bread, olive oil and wine).
At times, you get the feeling that you are walking through a great town where everything is authentic and pleased to be deeply rooted in Culture and History. The town centre is bustling, but not noisy, with taverns that have their roots in renowned wine-cellars, and it transmits a pleasant sensation of tranquillity. A place where everyone greets each other.
Today, Lebrija rises like a coral reef out of memory, a beacon that illuminates the old marshland and is imbued with its flavours: Quite an experience!
