Montearag�n Castle (original) (raw)
I visited this castle in 2002.
Montearag�n Castle lies, east of the village of Quicena, in the province of Huesca in Spain.
The following historical info is taken from a little Spanish booklet, titledCastillos de Huesca. My Spanish translation skills aren't great so forgive any mistakes that may occur.
Three kilometers east of the city of Huesca, the solitary silhouette of the austere, brown walls of the castle-abbey of Montearag�n stands out, occupying the entire summit of a high and cleared hill. The castle may bear some resemblance to contemporary
crusader castles, but it never belonged to a military order. The castle was constructed in 1086 by King Sancho Ramirez to harass Huesca, in those times Islamic.
Like in Loarre Castle, the king founded a royal chapel in the castle in 1089. Eight years later the castle was given to the Augustinian monks who used it as an abbey for more then 7 centuries. Although it was used as an abbey the military condition of Montearag�n Castle was maintained during medieval times. The castle was confiscated in the 19th century and turned into a powder magazine. When this magazine exploded the castle was destroyed and never rebuild.
Its groundplan is an irregular hexagon; its largest axis measures 100 m. and its smallest 55 m. There seems to be an outer enclosure, which follows the shape of the inner one, but those are just the wall coatings of the slopes of the hill giving this impression. They provide an extension on which the castle could be build. There is a semi-flanking tower, near the entrance, connected to the castle by an arc which
is evidence of the Muslim influence. Inside the castle walls there are remnants of several buildings, the largest being the Romanesque chapel with the square keep, which served as a bell tower, next to it.
This castle was very nicely situated and was (crudely) being restored when I visited. That's why there's no picture of the keep, because it was covered in scaffolding. There was also one man who seemed to be busy with some archeological activities. The castle is freely accessible.
The lonely archaeologist.