Tarazona

Main square and seat of Cortes de Aragón

A faithful reflection of its historical importance as a border fortress, the Tarazona Historical and Artistic Complex is extremely extensive and attractive; constituting one of the places with the highest density of tourist landmarks in the province. 

Plan your trip to Tarazona

There is a lot to see in Tarazona, historic locality that requires of a whole day to be visited. Among the many attractions, stopping by the excellent Cathedral, in the Church of the Magdalena (to contemplate its imposing altarpiece) and do not forget to visit the unusual Plaza de Toros Vieja and discover its history; In the section What to see in Tarazona we list the most outstanding monuments in a very interesting historical center for the lover of architecture. To the south, on the N122 road, you can access the important Veruela Monastery, the place where the exquisite Bacquer brothers retired; A little further on you can visit the interesting town of Borja (popular for the catastrophic restoration of a painting). Through this road you can also access the Natural Park of El Moncayo. This important tourist destination has a good gastronomy, which must be accompanied by wines from the DO Campo de Borja; We offer the hotel offer on the reservation page Sleep and Eating in Tarazona.

 

Do you want to visit this place?

According to a legend, Tarazona was founded by Tubalcaín (descendant of the Biblical Cain) and was later rebuilt by Hercules. However, archaeologists associate it with the Iberian Triaso, which would be conquered by the Romans who called it Turiaso; it became important enough to mint its own currency and its inhabitants to acquire full citizenship. The Visigoths would occupy it and transform it into a fortress that protected the territory against the attacks of the Basque tribes coming from the other side of the Ebro River. The Muslims conquered it in 714 and the town knows a new period of splendor; in the current neighborhood of the Cinto was the medina, and the suburbs in what is now called San Miguel neighborhood and Alta Merced street. In 1119, after the conquest of Zaragoza by King Alfonso I the Battler, it is fortified and becomes the Episcopal See; This privilege is due to the importance of its border position against Navarre and Castile. It was also designated as the seat of one of the twelve Aragonese fiscal demarcations and of one of the five criminal persecution meetings held in the Kingdom of Aragon. In 1283 the Aragonese nobles celebrated in Tarazona one of the meetings in which they agreed to face together King Pedro III the Great, tearing off the so-called “Privilege of the Union”, by which he would respect the privileges and privileges and was obliged to consult the Courts the international politics of the kingdom. From the thirteenth century there is evidence of a powerful Jewish community, led, at that time, by the Royal Councilor Moshe de Portella; that would become one of the most important in Aragon, with its own school of translators

Antigua vista de Tarazona
Antigua vista de Tarazona.

It was one of the most disputed strongholds throughout the history of Tarazona, during the “War of the Two Pedros”. In 1357 it was occupied by troops of Pedro I of Castile; recovered shortly after by the Aragonese, it was retaken by the Castilians in 1363 and finally recovered three years later. In 1495 the Cortes de Aragón met in Tarazona, under the presidency of the Catholic Monarchs. In the chapel of the Pieta, of the church of San Francisco, was consecrated bishop who years later would be named Cardinal Cisneros and Regent of Castile. After the uprisings in Aragon, in 1592 Felipe II ordered that they meet in Tarazona the Cortes that accepted the cut of the privileges and self-government of Aragon. The local population learned the importance of staying true to the reigning monarch, so that at the beginning of the War of Succession he remained loyal to Philip V, resisting in 1706 the attack of the army of the Archduke of Austria; fidelity that was awarded the following year by the king, who granted him numerous fiscal and administrative privileges; these advantages made it possible for Tarazona to become the second city of Aragón during the 18th century.

Its main monument is the Cathedral of Nuestra Señora de la Huerta, an important building whose construction began during the 12th century outside the walls, far from the original urban center. Its name comes from the fact that it was erected in the place where the Mozarabic church dedicated to Santa María de la Hidria (or the huerta) used to be. The temple consecrated in 1232, has a Latin cross plan and gathers several styles in its different parts: Gothic head and nave, dome and Mudejar bell tower and its central part of the transept is Renaissance style. The tower was finished in 1588 and is decorated with corner friezes, rhombuses and semicircular embrasures. Among the highlights are its cover and its main altarpiece (with scenes from the life of Christ). Declared an Asset of Cultural Interest, it has undergone a restoration process of almost thirty years that has made it a very attractive visit. It houses an ancient library rich in manuscripts with a violin painted in trompe l’oeil that gives rise to the joke of the guides about a Stradivarius that can be of that visitor who reaches it. In the neighborhood of the Cinto, in the high part is the Church of the Magdalena that was built in the XII century, conserving in that style three Romanesque apses and the lower part of the tower; until the construction of Nuestra Señora de la Huerta was the cathedral of Tarazona. Its main attraction is the spectacular altarpiece with multiple paintings. The ceilings of its left nave are made of wood and its 14th century tower is a good example of Mudejar architecture in brick. It has two floors on the Romanesque basement. The first is decorated with friezes corner, zigzags and the second, round windows or pointed according to the faces and narrow acute voids. It was deeply remodeled in the seventeenth century. Nearby is the Episcopal Palace, a group of buildings built between the 12th and 16th centuries, taking advantage of the foundations and materials of the ancient zuda (residence of the Muslim governor). Its main attraction is its south façade, with arcades of foundations and an upper gallery of arches. The permanent exhibition “Arqueología del Moncayo” is housed in its basement.

 

Also in the neighborhood of the Cinto must see in San Atilano Church (a saint born there) consecrated in 1769 after being built with ashlar masonry and the traditional brick of the area. Its façade is equipped with a colorful baroque decoration, in the middle of which is the city’s coat of arms. To emphasize in its interior its altarpiece and the sculpture of the saint. De-sacralized, it currently houses the San Atilano Cultural Center, where exhibitions and other cultural activities take place. The Church of San Francisco, built between the end of the 15th century and the beginning of the 16th, is part of the old convent of the Franciscans. It has a Mudejar cloister and an over cloister of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. His only ship was enlarged by successive ribbed vaults, each one a little different from the previous one. In his chapel of the Pieta was consecrated bishop Francisco Jiménez de Cisneros, future cardinal and regent of Castile.

Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Huerta

In 1667 an image of the Virgin was found next to the river, considering the event a miracle, being named patroness of Tarazona and building a sober Sanctuary of the Virgin of the River. In its church there is an impressive Churrigueresque altarpiece with gilded and polychrome baroque. The magnificent City Hall building was built in the sixteenth century, partially on the wall, serving as a fish market. It has a rich Renaissance facade on which there are several sculptures of Hercules (supposed founder of the city) and other mythological beings; It also has a frieze representing the coronation ceremony of Charles V and an interesting gallery of arches on the top floor. Another building of interest is the Eguarás Palace, a Renaissance building with a U-shaped floor that prefers the sobriety of its façade to the richness of its interior courtyard, in three wings, which opens onto a beautiful nineteenth-century botanical garden. Between the Plaza of Spain, the slope of the Archdeacons and the Plaza de Santa María was the Jewish quarter; the entresijo of callejuelas is characterized by its flown Houses, singular original buildings of the XIV century erected taking advantage of the layout of the wall by means of an ingenious system of flown bricks.

The most unusual building in Tarazona is the Old Bullring, built in 1792 with an octagonal plan. among its singularities, it is worth noting that it was built by popular initiative after demolishing other houses and that its elevated triple-height arcades give homes that were assigned by lot among the promoters of the building. Until 1870 bullfights were held there, with 5,500 localities for a population of about nine thousand inhabitants; the owner families rented their balconies during the festivities. A prominent building is La Casa del Traductor, founded in 1988 by the Francisco Uriz National Translation Award; It is a unique center in Spain that is part of the European Network of International Translation Centers (RECIT).

It offers annual residence scholarships to translators of any language into Spanish to develop their professional projects in Tarazona. Already in the outskirts of the city is the Hermitage of San Juan, built in the seventeenth century taking advantage of a natural cave in the rock. Inside there is an interesting main altarpiece and an image of San Juan Bautista. The festivities of Tarazona begin with the famous Cipotegato one of the most marked celebrations of Aragon.

In 1667 an image of the Virgin was found next to the river, considering the event a miracle, being named patroness of Tarazona and building a sober Sanctuary of the Virgin of the River. In its church there is an impressive Churrigueresque altarpiece with gilded and polychrome baroque. The magnificent City Hall building was built in the sixteenth century, partially on the wall, serving as a fish market. It has a rich Renaissance facade on which there are several sculptures of Hercules (supposed founder of the city) and other mythological beings; It also has a frieze representing the coronation ceremony of Charles V and an interesting gallery of arches on the top floor. Another building of interest is the Eguarás Palace, a Renaissance building with a U-shaped floor that prefers the sobriety of its façade to the richness of its interior courtyard, in three wings, which opens onto a beautiful nineteenth-century botanical garden. Between the Plaza of Spain, the slope of the Archdeacons and the Plaza de Santa María was the Jewish quarter; the entresijo of callejuelas is characterized by its flown Houses, singular original buildings of the XIV century erected taking advantage of the layout of the wall by means of an ingenious system of flown bricks. The most unusual building in Tarazona is the Old Bullring, built in 1792 with an octagonal plan. among its singularities, it is worth noting that it was built by popular initiative after demolishing other houses and that its elevated triple-height arcades give homes that were assigned by lot among the promoters of the building. Until 1870 bullfights were held there, with 5,500 localities for a population of about nine thousand inhabitants; the owner families rented their balconies during the festivities. A prominent building is La Casa del Traductor, founded in 1988 by the Francisco Uriz National Translation Award; It is a unique center in Spain that is part of the European Network of International Translation Centers (RECIT). It offers annual residence scholarships to translators of any language into Spanish to develop their professional projects in Tarazona. Already in the outskirts of the city is the Hermitage of San Juan, built in the seventeenth century taking advantage of a natural cave in the rock. Inside there is an interesting main altarpiece and an image of San Juan Bautista. Under it a spring known as the Eyes of San Juan is born. The festivities of Tarazona begin with the famous Cipotegato one of the most marked celebrations of Aragon.

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Practical Data

Coordinates

41° 54′ 16″ N, 1° 43′ 21″ W

Distances

Zaragoza 88 km, Huesca160 km, Teruel 215 km, Madrid 291 km


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