Ejea de los Caballeros

Ejea de los Caballeros

Ejea de los Caballeros is the capital of one of the most famous regions in the province of Zaragoza: las Cinco villas. It has a priviliged geographical location in a rich and fertile area where the Arba de Biel and Arba de Luesia rivers meet. The town’s outstanding heritage is evidence of its splendid past.

Ejea de los Caballeros is situated between mountains and plains. It is in Aragón but very close to Navarra. Historically, it was always a fortified place on a hillside with labyrinthic streets.

It is 75 kilometres from Zaragoza. Follow the N-232 road and then take the A-126 in Alagón. Later take the A-127 and Ejea is after Tauste.

The most outstanding buildings include the Romanesque church of Santa María de la Corona, a church built on the site of an old castle, which explains its military appearance. Another important building is the church of San Salvador which is also Romanesque style and has beautiful fortified towers and a valuable sculpted façade. Finally, the church of Nuestra Señora de la Oliva is a Neoclassical style construction dating from the 18th century.

The town’s artistic heritage does not end there, however. There are also Renaissance style civil buildings in streets like Calle Mediavilla, plaza de España and Calle de Ramón y Cajal.

For those who prefer to be surrounded by nature, Ejea has areas of natural beauty such as the Castejón steppe mountains and the San Bartolomé, Bolaso and Moncayuelo reservoirs where it is possible to fish and do water sports.

Rice, which has a special guarantee of quality, is grown in this area.

Festivities: Festivities in honour of San Juan start on24th June and usually last three or four days. San Juan has been celebrated since just after the Christian Reconquest and is therefore the town’s oldest patron saint. Festivities in honour of Ntra. Sra. la Virgen de la Oliva usually start during the first weekend in September and last a week. They are linked to harvest festivals. The figure of la Virgen de la Oliva is very old: the hermitage has had lands in the area since at least 1245. The “Fiesta del Voto” festivity is commemorated every 14th January and dates back over 200 years. Between 1770 and 1773 Ejea suffered an epidemic which claimed an alarming number of victims and frightened the population. Given the circumstances and the limited efficiency of medical services at that time, the town council asked the church to hold a procession with the image of la Purísima Concepción. The procession took place on 14th January 1773 and the epidemic soon stopped spreading and finally finished. As a result, the people of Ejea started to hold "el Voto a la Purísima” festivities on 14th January to thank the Virgin. There is also a water festivity to commemorate the construction of the Bardenas Canal in 1959, which made it possible to irrigate land in the Ejea area. (1959).

El Bayo

El Bayo has ruins of a monastery and a convent belonging to the Cistercian Order. They date from the early 13th century and are Romanesque style. There are remains of two churches, a water storage tank, two windmills and a burial ground.

Faradués

The parish church of Ntra. Sra. De La Esperanza is Renaissance style and dates from the mid 16th century. It is a large, ashlar masonry construction and has a portico covered with a star vaulted ceiling and a Renaissance style façade. There is a tall, square shaped tower at the back of the church. The tower has three sections which are separated by an impost and is topped by a pyramidal spire. The church houses several altarpieces dating from between the 16th and 18th centuries.

The hermitage dedicated to Santa Orosia is on the outskirts of the village.

El Pozo Trian, Barranco and Cantera Mesa form an area of outstanding natural beauty. There is a waterfall at the well, a mountain, a ravine with caves, grottos and erosion caused by meteorological phenomena.

The washing and dying houses at Cuatron are Roman buildings which are communicated by small canals and were designed for washing and dying clothes.

The Roman bust of San Jorge is a funeral structure dating from the 1st century A.D.

Festivities: Festivities in honour of San Antonio de Padua are held from 10th to 15th August, coinciding with the day of la Virgen de Agosto. There is a pilgrimage in honour of Santa Orosia, the patron saint, on the first Saturday in June. At the end of September, the tree (mayo) put into position during the patron saint’s festivities is taken down.

Rivas

The parish church dedicated to San Miguel was completed in the late 18th century. It houses images of the two patron saints of Rivas: San Victorián and la Virgen de los Ángeles as well as San Miguel, San Antonio and la Dolorosa.