Monday 12 September 2011

ZARAGOZA BASILICA - FROM MIRACLE TO MIRACLE

The Basilica-Cathedral of Our Lady of the Pillar is a spectacular Roman Catholic church in the city of Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain
Its historical roots tell a story of a miracle whereby Saint James was preaching the Gospel in Spain and on the 2nd of January 40 AD, while he was deep in prayer by the banks of the Ebro, the Mother of God appeared to him and gave him a small wooden statue of herself and a column of jasper and instructed him to build a church in her honor.

Today, the splender of that church encompasses a bit of each culture and generation from Romanesque to Mudéjar Gothic to Baroque. During the Spanish Civil War of 1936–1939 three bombs were dropped on the church but miraculously - none of them exploded.

Tuesday 6 September 2011

PALACE IN ZARAGOZA IS A BEAUTIFUL CLASH OF CULTURES

The Aljafería Palace is the perfect example of how Islamic and Christian cultures merged to create beauty. The Mudéjar art in Aragón is a direct consequence of the singular nature of the Christian Reconquest, in the early 12th century, of territories that had been dominated by the Moors since the 8th century. For various practical and political reasons, the Christians allowed the Moors to remain on the reconquered territories and keep their own culture and religion. On the other hand, Islamic art fascinated the Christians, who continued using its themes for a long time. Because of this cohabitation, many Islamic buildings were preserved, such as the Aljaferia Palace in Zaragoza.

Sunday 4 September 2011

VILAFAMÉS REIGNS REGAL IN RED

Located in the Province of Castellón, Villafamés occupies a strategic position on top of a hill that is part of the northern end of the mountain range - Sierra de les Conteses.

The earliest evidence of occupation of Vilafamés are based on archaeological finds from the Middle Pleistocene period - called "Homo erectus vilafamensis" some 80,000 years ago.

The Castle that tops the village has Arab foundations but once conquered by King Jaime 1 in 1233 it has undergone various reforms throughout its history.