Loarre Castle
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The Castillo de Loarre is a castle in the municipality of Loarre in the province of Huesca in the autonomous region of Aragon in northern Spain . The castle, located approx. 300 m above the town, is considered to be one of the most beautiful in Spain and is a protected architectural monument ( Bien de Interés Cultural ) .
history
The history of the castle begins in 1019 when Sancho III. (r. 999-1035), King of Navarre , here in connection with the recapture ( reconquista ) of the area of the Moors founded a church. The rest of the monastery castle was built under King Sancho Ramírez (r. 1063-1094), who founded both a castle and a fortified Augustinian monastery here . After the recapture of the city of Huesca further south in 1098, the castle lost its strategic importance. In the 12th century it served as one of several royal residences. At the end of the 13th century the double wall ring with its eight round towers was built . In the 14th century the entire complex was sold to Antonio de Luna, a favorite of the king.
architecture
The one-nave and almost undivided church of Santa María with a domed apse is probably the oldest part of the complex. The main church of San Pedro , underpinned by a barrel-vaulted crypt, shows clearly more developed forms - especially in the apse. The yoke in front of it is spanned by a trumpet-supported dome ; four small round windows (oculi) provide exposure. Numerous vegetable and figurative capitals loosen up the severity of the architecture somewhat.
The castle has a five-storey main tower (torre del homenaje) and a smaller tower, the so-called "Tower of the Queen" (Torre de la Reina ). Another tower (Torre Albarrana) stands a little lower than the main castle, but still within the wall ring; it shows two twin windows ( ajimezes ) on the upper floor. Parts of the castle building functioned as a monastery (churches and monks cells).
Others
The castle was used as a backdrop for several movies, including
- Crónica del alba. Valentina. (1982), directed by Antonio Betancor , leading actors: Jorge Sanz , Anthony Quinn and Eusebio Poncela
- Kingdom of Heaven (2005) directed by Ridley Scott , starring Orlando Bloom , Eva Green , Jeremy Irons and Liam Neeson
- Miguel y William (2007); Directed by Inés Paris , leading actors: Elena Anaya , Juan Luis Galiardo , Will Kemp and Geraldine Chaplin
literature
- Reinhart Wolf . With texts by Cees Nooteboom : Castillos, castles in Spain . Schirmer / Mosel Verlag , Munich 2001, ISBN 3-8296-0026-7
Web links
- Castillo de Loarre - Official website (Spanish)
- Castillo de Loarre - Photos + Info (Románico Aragonés, Spanish)
- Castillo de Loarre - photos + information (arteguias, spanish)
Coordinates: 42 ° 19 ′ 32 " N , 0 ° 36 ′ 45" W.