First published: 19/05/12.

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Mudejar Architecture Of Aragon

Mudejar Architecture of Aragon (Inscribed)

Mudejar Architecture of Aragon by Els Slots

I attended a conference in Zaragoza and naturally used the opportunity to visit its share of the Mudejar WHS nomination. Three of the inscribed monuments are in Zaragoza and the rest are scattered in other parts of Aragon.

The Aljaferia palace is the seat of the Aragonese parliament and only part of it is open to visitors. What I found most striking was the combination of Moorish architecture with some clear symbols of Islam (such as the mihrab or the Arab calligraphy) and Christian medieval motives in the wooden carved ceilings. It isn't so much a true Mudejar building as this style only evolved after the reconquista and reflected an attempt to combine the Moorish style with Gothic one. The Aljaferia, on the other hand, is one of the only Moorish monuments which survived intact outside of Andalucia and is therefore earlier. Nonetheless, it didn't remain unchanged and the Aragonese princes lived in it and adopted it to their needs. For me it was unbelievable to imagine a Christian prince living in such a Muslim looking palace.

The Cathedral of La Seo is a very impressive cathedral. Its inner centralized nave is beautiful. However, I couldn't see much of its Mudejar characteristics in its interior. Those are evident, however, in the chruch's exterior, mainly from the northern side where you can admire the typical ornaments at the bell tower and its surroundings. The cathedral also features a collection of goblins of world importance that used to hang in the church itself and is now on display in a nearby building.

The third monument, Church of San Pablo, I found less spectacular. Not far away is another Mudejar church not part of the WHS which I found much more impressive - Santa Maria Magdalena. I don't know why it wasn left our but it is certainly worthwhile visiting.

Apart from the WHS components I would recommend Zaragoza's municipal museum with its impressive collection of Roman mosaics from Zaragoza's predecessor Caesaraugusta as well as a collection of Goya, Zaragoza's most famous son. For nice modern architecture you should visit the grounds of Expo 2008 that still display the original bridges and pavilions of some great names such as Zaha Hadid.

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