The Romanesque Along the Way

The French Way of St. James, crossing Aragon, flourished during the Middle Ages. As testament to this, along the route are a number of notable examples of what was the earliest European international style: Romanesque. 

This appears in the Codex Calixtinus (12th century) as one of the three most important hospitals in the world. It was established in the 11th century to offer refuge and care to pilgrims, travelers, and the poor, and rose to prominence in the 13th century. In 1706, it was ravaged by fire. 

This polychrome wood carving dates from the late 11th century and comes from the historic chapel in Villanúa cemetery. It is one of the oldest examples of imagery of the Virgin Mary in the kingdom of Aragon and follows the archaic model of the Virgin as the Seat of Wisdom for the Christ Child. 

This is all that remains of the Monastery of San Adrián de Sásabe, the episcopal see of Aragon in the late 10th century. The temple, consecrated in 1104, is an example of the fusion of the Lombard and Romanesque styles spreading from Jaca. It is believed that the Holy Grail was kept there. 

This 12th-century Romanesque building was later extended during the 16th and 17th centuries. The original temple had a rectangular floor plan, with a nave covered by a wooden roof, a high altar with a barrel vault, and a semi-circular apse topped with a quarter sphere.

It was built in 1040, but remodeled in 1072 to adapt it to the new Romanesque style that had arrived from Europe. It was one of the first churches in Aragon with a semi-circular chancel. Its rich sculptural decoration, in the Jaca style, has been preserved along with traces of some 15th-century paintings.

This is one of the jewels of Spanish Romanesque style and a key feature of the Aragonese Way of St. James. It was built in several stages, starting in the 1070s, and its shapes resemble the broad Romanesque style. It set the standard for other monuments, both in Aragon and in other locations along the Way.

The building is a reference point for sculpture, used not only as decoration, but also for education. The images spread the religious message and illustrated biblical passages. The tympanum of the west facade bears the famous symbol of Christ by the sculptor Maestro de Jaca. 

The sculpture is focused on and adapted to facades, capitals, and modillions. A particular decorative molding was used in Jaca comprising small cylinders lined up in relief, known as the Jaca-style checkerboard. This style later spread to other parts of Spain. 

The cathedral as it is now is the result of several stages of construction and modifications made throughout the centuries. Inside, the basilica was structured around a rectangular floor plan with three naves, each ending in apses, and a transept. It is noted for its lavish sculptural decoration, particularly concentrated on the capitals.

This is one of the highlights of Spanish Romanesque sculpture due to the quality of its carvings and iconography. It dates from the 12th century and contained the body of Doña Sancha, daughter of Ramiro I, first king of Aragon. On the front is a representation of the soul of the countess rising up to heaven, within an ancient symbol known as a mandorla, carried by two angels. 

This is all that remains of the Benedictine convent founded by Ramiro I in the mid-11th century. His daughter, Doña Sancha, became its abbess and, under her protection, the convent achieved its full glory. Ladies from the royal household and Aragonese nobility lived within its walls.

This small temple was built between 1020 and 1030, during the period of Sancho the Great, King of Pamplona, in the context of the repopulation and regeneration of the territory of High Aragon. It is an excellent, formal example of pure Lombard-Romanesque architecture.

This is one of the most emblematic monuments in Aragon, a center of religious and political power in the 11th and 12th centuries. It houses the pantheon of the early Aragonese monarchs—Ramiro I, Sancho Ramírez, and Peter I—as well as further members of their family and other illustrious characters.

This Romanesque church was built under mandate from Sancho Ramírez and consecrated in the presence of his son, Peter I, in 1094. In 1071, it held the first liturgy of the Roman Rite, replacing the Mozarabic Rite and representing the start of its expansion to the rest of the Iberian Peninsula.

These magnificent Romanesque cloisters date from the late 12th century to the early 13th century. Monks would enter the calm cloisters to meditate upon the sacred texts, although they were also used as a venue for meetings and other community activities. 

The magnificent capitals sculpted by Maestro de San Juan de la Peña represent the cycles of Genesis, the Birth and Infancy of Jesus, and the Public Life and Passion of Christ. They are also a valuable historical record given that they show aspects of everyday life from the 12th and 13th centuries.

These 12th-century frescoes are housed at the Diocesan Museum of Jaca. They show the archetypal Romanesque painted mural: the vault displays a representation of heaven according to the vision of the Apocalypse with Christ in Majesty, while the human world appears in the bottom section.

This is an important example of Aragonese Romanesque style, as the primitive building dates from the 11th century. It comprises two juxtaposed entities: the first was the church nave, while the second, added a short time afterwards, was a shelter for pilgrims.