What to do · Alquézar and the River Vero
Collegiate Church of Santa María and Its Painted Cloister
Information
- Duration
- 45 min
- Season
- All year
- Who it's for
- Everyone
At the very top of Alquézar, inside the castle precinct, stands the collegiate church of Santa María. It is the town's emblem and the reason for its name: there was a Muslim fortress here, and Alquézar comes from the Arabic al-qasr, the same word from which alcázar derives.
History
According to Turismo de Alquézar, the fortress was founded in the 9th century by the chieftain Jalaf ibn Rasid ibn Asad to halt the Christian advance from the north; towers and walls remain from it. In the 11th century King Sancho Ramírez conquered the castle and built a Romanesque church, part of whose cloister survives. The present church is 16th century. The office also tells the legend of the taking of the castle, with a maiden from Buera as its protagonist.
What to see
What makes the visit unique is the cloister: historiated capitals with scenes from the Old Testament and walls covered in fresco paintings from the 14th to the 18th century with scenes from the New. Turismo de Alquézar presents it as the only cloister in Aragon that survives entirely painted.
In the church the highlights are the polychrome altarpiece, a transition between Renaissance and Baroque, the chapels, the organ and the Christ of Lecina, the most prized piece: a pine-wood carving transitional between Romanesque and Gothic, with four nails, one in each hand and each foot. Turismo de Aragón dates it to the 13th century.
On the upper floor of the cloister, in a room that was the canons' bedroom, is the Museum of Sacred Art, with 15th-century altarpieces, painting and metalwork. Outside, look up at the central tower, the tallest on the wall, known as the esconjuradero: in the early 18th century the collegiate church had exorcists who rang the bells and invoked Saint Barbara to ward off storms.
How to visit
You walk up from the Plaza Mayor through the old town's streets. Tickets and the day's hours can be checked at turismoalquezar.es or at the tourist office (974 352 916), and they change with the season. The Río Vero Cultural Park gives the phone numbers 974 318 940, 974 318 267 and 669 681 044 for the museum.
To understand the town before climbing up, do the guided visit to the medieval town; afterwards, go down to the Vero walkways, which go round the town.
Tips
- Go up in the late afternoon The light comes into the Vero canyon from the side and the whole town can be seen from the walls.
Frequently asked questions
What is special about it?
The Romanesque cloister, entirely painted with murals from the 14th to the 18th century.
Where do I buy tickets?
On the Turismo de Alquézar website or at the tourist office.
Why is the town called that?
From the Arabic al-qasr, the fortress that stood where the collegiate church is today.
As a family
