In the ancient Kingdom of
Aragón in northeastern Spain, crowned by the Pyrenees mountains
and traversed by the Ebro river, lies the province of Zaragoza,
sometimes anglicized as Saragossa. Limiting to the west are Navarre,
La Rioja and both Castiles. To the east is Catalonia and to the north and
south, the sister provinces of Huesca and Teruel. The three provinces make
up the Autonomous Community of Aragón (population 1,183,234).
The province of Zaragoza
extends over an area of 17,252 square kilometers with a total population
of 841,438, unequally distributed throughout 291 municipalities. The capital
city bears the same name as the province, Zaragoza, and has 603,637
inhabitants, 71.73 percent of the population.
The province occupies the
center valley of the Ebro river. The great river cuts through it from west
to east along 330 kilometers, clustering around it the major part of the
population. The Ebro is ever-present in the landscape and in the minds
of the Zaragozans; it has become a symbol of identity.
The Ebro divides Zaragoza
in two: the North, with Los Monegros and Las Cinco Villas almost reach
the Pyrenees, and the South, with the fields of Caspe, Belchite, Daroca
and the Iberian Mountains from Calatayud to Tarazona, presided over by
Mount Moncayo.
Zaragoza can offer
the visitor a very rich historic and artistical heritage which is the result
of more than two thousand years of existence. The Iberians, Romans, Moors,
Jews and Christians all left their mark here and made Zaragoza the
worthy holder of the title 'City of the Four Cultures'.
Its urban growth began following
its foundation as a Roman colony between the years 19 to 15 B.C. when it
received the name of Cesaraugusta, in honour of its founder, the Emperor
Caesar Augustus. The layout of the former Roman town has been little changed
in the old part of the city, between the rivers Coso and Ebro. In addition,
the remains of the Roman walls, sewage system, theatre, paving and magnificent
mosaics are still preserved and show us the great importance this colony
once had.
The social and cultural
life within the town continued to be essentially Roman throughout the entire
Visigothic era until the year 714, when it was conquered by the Moors.
From that time onwards it received the names of 'Saragusta' and also 'Albaida'
which means 'the White City'. Zaragoza became a magnificent centre
of culture and was to produce such outstanding figures as the philosopher
Avenpace, the great teacher of Averroes. During the 11th c (at the time
of the so-called 'taifas', or petty kingdoms), La Aljafería palace
was constructed. This is one of the most important examples of Moorish
architecture in Spain, and is now open to visitors following an extensive
restoration programme.
In the year 1118 the city
was reconquered by the Christians under the command of King Alfonso I 'the
Battler'. Unfortunately, the Romanesque remains to be found today are limited
to a small tympanum set into the façade of the Basilica of Nuestra
Señora del Pilar, and parts of the apses of San Salvador Cathedral.
The peaceful coexistence
within the city of the three great religions is reflected in the Mudéjar
style -the result of the harmonious union between Moslem and Western architecture.
Particular reference should be made to the towers of the Gothic-Mudéjar
churches, all of which give Zaragoza its distinctive character.
Examples include the Churches of San Pablo, San Gil Abad, San Miguel de
los Navarros, Santa María Magdalena and the lantern of La Seo or
San Salvador Cathedral.
During the 16th c the city
underwent an intense urban and economic growth, and the travellers who
visited it at this time speak of the beauty of its buildings, its wealth
and cosmopolitanism. It was then that the design of the typical Aragonese
palace was consolidated and would serve for many centuries to follow. The
particular features of these palaces are the façades and courtyards,
and fine examples can be found in the Palaces of La Lonja, Don Lope, the
Counts of Morata, Sástago, as well as the Courtyard of La Infanta
and the façade of the Church of Santa Engracia, the latter having
royal patronage.
The predominance of civil
architecture during the 16th c was followed by that of religious architecture
during the 17th and 18th c.
Baroque architecture in
Zaragoza
can be seen in the Basilica of Nuestra Señora del Pilar, the Churches
of Santa Isabel, San Felipe, San Carlos Borromeo and others.
In addition, alterations
were carried out on already-existing churches. Meanwhile, the Palace of
the Counts of Gabarda, the Churches of San Fernando de Torrero, Santa Cruz,
and many of the works proposed by Don Ramón de Pignatelli, all belong
to the Neoclassical period. The latter was the man behind the construction
of the Imperial Canal of Aragón.
Zaragoza was also
the city where Francisco de Goya served his apprenticeship and painted
his first works. His paintings are exhibited in the Basilica of Nuestra
Señora del Pilar, the Camón Aznar Museum and the Provincial
Museum of Fine Arts.
During the War of Independence
the city was blockaded by Napoleon's troops and subsequently suffered heavy
losses.
The loss of human life,
buildings and works of art practically reduced the city to nothing. However,
little by little and thanks to the great effort made by the people, a new
city rose up out of the ruins which, aided by the Industrial Revolution,
would become the Zaragoza of the 20th c. Using the French style
of urban development as a model, large avenues and squares with Historicist,
Eclectic and Modernist buildings were made. Examples of these include the
former Medicine and Science Faculty, the Central Market, the Bandstand
and those buildings constructed on the occasion of the 1908 Franco-Hispanic
Exhibition. |
