Our Tour to Bijuesca in August 1998

Where in the world is Bijuesca ?

Photographs by Frits van Krevelen (1998)

Spain is our favourite country to visit during our summer holidays. For many years now we visited this beautiful and exciting country, often to meet our friends, Carmen and Cristina . They live in Behobie, a small village in the very south of France near Hendaye, close to the Spanish border. This year we are planning a visit to the small village of Bijuesca in the province of Zaragoza, a part of the Comunity of Aragón. The Autonome Comunity of Aragón is composed of the provinces of Huesca, Zaragoza, and Teruel. Area, 47,669 sq km (18,405 sq mi), population (1986) 1,214,729.

Bijuesca is located in the province of Zaragoza, Spain

After the Romans defeated the Carthaginians during the Punic Wars, Aragón became part of the Roman province of Hispania Tarraconensis. The Visigoths conquered the region late in the 5th century, the Moors in the 8th century. Subsequently the region was incorporated with the kingdom of Navarre. In 1035 Ramiro I, a son of the Navarrese ruler Sancho III, established Aragón as an independent kingdom.

Navarre was annexed in 1076, and during the next 100 years additional territory was added by successful wars against the Moors. In 1137 Aragón was united with Catalonia and Barcelona. Aragón grew into a leading Mediterranean naval power around the port of Barcelona. The kings of Aragón gained possession of the Balearic Islands Mallorca, Ibiza and Menorca and of Sicily, Sardinia, and Naples during the next two centuries. In 1238 the important city of Valencia was captured by Aragón from the Moors.

The marriage of Ferdinand II of Aragón (later Ferdinand V of Castilia) to Isabella I of Castilia in 1469 united those two regions. Formal merger of the two kingdoms took place on the accession of Charles I in 1516 (known as Charles V of Habsburg in Holland), but Aragón retained its own administration and representative institutions until the end of the 17th century.

With the marriage of the famous kings Isabella and Ferdinand started the road to the unification of Spain. In their holy war - the Reconquista - against the Moors, the Moors were conquered (except for Granada), but they ruled the conquered states in a rather tolerant way. Many moslim architects and craftsmen were allowed (after conversion to the Roman Catholic belief) to continue their occupations, creating the famous mudéjar style with detailed masonry and geometrical ceramic decorations, typical for many cultural monuments and buildings throughout Aragón, creating the Christian Spain as we know it today.

Aragón and its provincies Huesca, Zaragoza and Teruel

The province of Zaragoza, capital of Aragon Region and Zaragoza, Province, on the the Ebro river (English: Saragossa). The city is an important industrial, railroad, and commercial center. Principal manufactures are textiles, agricultural machinery, glass, cement, and refined sugar. Most notable architectural landmarks are the La Seo Cathedral, built between the 12th and 16th centuries; the 17th-century El Pilar Cathedral, containing a chapel decorated with frescoes by Spanish masters; the Castillo de la Aljafería, a citadel built originally by the Moors and later the royal residence of the former kingdom of Aragón; and the 16th-century Lonja, or Exchange, a richly decorated Renaissance building. The University of Zaragoza (1533) is located in the historic centre of the city.

17th-century El Pilar Cathedral

Statue of Goya

The ancient settlement Salduba originally occupied the site of present-day Zaragoza. Salduba was captured between the years 19 to 15 B.C. by the Romans, who renamed it Caesaraugusta, in honour of its founder, the Emperor Caesar Augustus; the present name is a corruption of the Roman name. 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. After the 6th century AD, the city was ruled successively by the Suevi, the Visigoths, and the Moors. From the 12th century to the latter half of the 15th century, it was the capital of Aragón. Zaragoza declined in importance after the unification of the kingdoms of Aragón and Castile in 1469. The city became renowned throughout Europe, however, during the Peninsular War (1808-1814), when its citizens displayed extreme heroism against a besieging French army in 1808 to 1809. Population (1991) 837,327.

The province of Zaragoza, part of Aragón. The district of Catalayud is marked red

Bijuesca is located in the district Calatayud (21). Calatayud is a small city situated 83 km west of Zaragoza. The city is dominated by the 8th century Moorish castle 'Castillo de Ayyub' (716 AD) and the octogonal minaret of the Colegiata de Santa María church in mudéjar style. It was the Moorish emir Ayyub who gave its name to Calatayud (qal'atAyyub, the castle of Ayyub). Calatayud replaced the Roman city Augusta Bilbilis at the east of the city, built by the Roman emperor Augustus. Population (1995) 17,256.