Citadel of Jaca, the largest historical monument in the Aragonese town

Jaca Huesca Aragon Citadel

Undoubtedly the largest monument in Jaca, its famous Citadel, was known until the XNUMXth century as the “Castillo de San Pedro”, a military fortification that began its construction towards the end of the XNUMXth century, and was completed in the XNUMXth century. The Citadel of Jaca It was originally raised as part of an ambitious defense, which aimed to protect the strategic border points of the French and thus stop the wars of religion between Protestants and Catholics unleashed in those centuries in Europe.

Construction Castle of San Pedro It was entrusted by Felipe II to the Italian engineer Tiburcio Spanochi, who proposed the extramural land for its location, in the northern suburbs of the town of Jaca. This citadel is presented as a large fortified construction with a pentagonal plan, with an arrow-shaped bastion at each angle, all connected to each other by a covered walkway.

Inside, in the central part, the Citadel has a large parade ground, delimited by a two-level arcade that alternates semicircular brick arches. Its interior also houses a small church dedicated to San Pedro, dating from the seventeenth century, which has a Baroque façade flanked by Solomonic shaft columns. Outside, the defensive system is completed with glacis and a moat at two heights, which has never contained water but which currently serves as a habitat for some deer. The heraldic coat of arms of the Habsburgs crowns the entrance to the fortification. The citadel was declared artistic monument on June 28, 1951, It has been restored since 1968.


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