Page 240 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Spain

238  EASTERN SP AIN

Royal
pantheon Lower
church
Capilla de San
Victorián

Cloister

Residential
quarters

Upper church
8 Monasterio de
San Juan de la Peña the Latin Mass in Spain.
Huesca. Tel 974 35 51 19. Open Nov– After a fire in the 1600s, Capilla de
Feb: 10am–2pm daily (to 5pm Sat); the building was abandoned San Voto
Mar–Oct: 10am–2pm, 3:30–7pm daily in favour of a newer one further
(to 8pm Jun–Aug). Closed 1 Jan, up the hill side. This was later
25 Dec. & 8 - ∑ monasterio sacked by Napoleon’s troops. simple triple apse hollowed
sanjuan.com It now houses a hotel and out of the side of the cliff. The
interpretation centre. Romanesque pantheon con­
Set under a bulging rock, this The church of the old monas­ tains the stacked tombs of the
monastery was an early guardian tery is on two floors. The lower early Aragonese kings. The
of the Holy Grail (see p255). In the one is a primitive rock­hewn exterior cloister is San Juan de
11th century it underwent refor­ crypt built in the early 10th la Peña’s pièce de résistance, the
mation in Cluniac style, and was century. The upper floor contains capitals of its columns carved
the first monastery to introduce an 11th­century church with a with biblical scenes.

9 Agüero This Romanesque church The lively, large­eyed figures
is reached by a long stony are attributed to the mason
Huesca. * 150. _ San Blas (3 Feb),
San Roque (16 Aug). track leading uphill just before responsible for the superb
∑ aytoaguero.es the village. carvings in the monas tery
The capitals of the columns at San Juan de la Peña.
The picturesque setting of this in this unusual triple­naved
attractive village, clus tered building are carved with fan­
against a dramatic crag of tastical beasts as well as scenes 0 Castillo de Loarre
eroded pudding stone, amply from the life of Jesus and the Loarre, Huesca. Tel 974 34 21 61. £
rewards a brief detour from Virgin Mary. The beautiful Ayerbe. @ from Huesca. Open daily.
the main road. The most carvings on the doorway dis­ Closed Nov–Feb: Mon, 1 Jan, 25 Dec.
important reason for visiting play biblical events, including & 8 ∑ castillodeloarre.es
Agüero, however, is to see the scenes from the Epiphany and
12th­century Iglesia de Santiago. Salome dancing ecstati cally. The ramparts of this fortress
stand majestically above the
road from Ayerbe. The fortress
is so closely moulded around
the contours of a rock that in
poor visibility it could be
easily mistaken for a natural
outcrop. It was used as a set
for Ridley Scott’s film Kingdom
of Heaven (2005). On a clear
day, the hill top setting is
stupendous, with clear views
of the surrounding orchards
Village of Agüero, situated under a rocky crag and reservoirs of the Ebro plain.
For hotels and restaurants in this region see p567 and pp590–91

238-239_EW_Spain.indd 238 26/09/17 11:01 am
Eyewitness Travel LAYERS PRINTED:
Catalogue template “UK” LAYER
(Source v2.1)
Date 5th December 2012
Size 125mm x 217mm