ZARAGOZA, SPAIN — Inside the explosion of domes and spires that is the Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar, worshippers stoop one at a time by an inner wall, peer through an opening, then solemnly kiss the back of a column topped with a statue dressed in a woman's robe. The site has been holy since 40 AD, when, according to tradition, the Virgin Mary made a full-body appearance on the jasper column to encourage St. James (Santiago in Spanish) in his missionary endeavours. Locals still come regularly to light a candle or purchase a piece of consecrated ribbon to bring good luck to their home, their car or a sick friend.
"Many people these days aren't religious," tour guide Benoit Van Kesteren says, "but because they live here, they believe in the Virgin."
The Virgin has indeed been good to Zaragoza. The city's coffers get a boost each October when nearly a million pilgrims flood in for the week-long Festival of the Pillar. Sightseeing tourists, however, generally bypass the state of Aragon and its capital, opting instead for the beaches of southern Spain and the art and architecture of Madrid, Barcelona, Seville and Granada. This year, Zaragoza hopes to change all that by employing hospitality expertise acquired through the pilgrim trade to host a much more secular event, an international exposition.
If you plan to visit Expo 2008 (June 14-Sept. 14), allow time to explore Aragon in depth. This is a land where Christianity, Islam and Judaism have co-existed and collided over the centuries. History's cauldron of passion, prejudice and persecution has bequeathed a wealth of historic and architectural treasures for today's visitors. Must-sees in this former kingdom in northeastern Spain include Zaragoza's two cathedrals, Teruel's four towers built in the region's unique Mudejar style, the war-ravaged ruins of Belchite, the walled hill town of Albarracin and the rock-hewn San Juan monastery.
Just don't expect to see a lot of sites connected with Catherine of Aragon. She is famous in the English-speaking world because Henry VIII split with the Catholic Church in order to divorce her (as fans of The Tudors will remember). But in Aragon, the real celebrities are Catherine's parents, Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile, along with painter Francisco Goya, who was born and educated in the region.
Zaragoza, located roughly halfway between Madrid and Barcelona, is a bustling, modern city with a wide commercial avenue, the Paseo Independencia. The city boasts a theatre and other monuments from the days when its Roman founders called it Caesaraugusta. But the main focus of tourist interest is the grand square that links the city's two cathedrals, the Basilica of the Pillar and La Seo.
Construction of the massive Baroque basilica began in 1681 on the site of earlier churches and shrines to the Virgin. Two bombs, on display inside, struck the building during the Spanish Civil War but never exploded. The faithful call it a miracle.
La Seo, also known as San Salvador Cathedral, reflects Aragon's rocky history of inter-religious relations. This Christian place of worship on the site of a former mosque was built by Muslim workmen after the Christian reconquest of northern Spain. The construction came during the few golden decades when, as tour guides like to boast, Christians, Jews and Muslims lived in peace and harmony.
Those same guides, however, are often less forthcoming when it comes to the horrors of the Inquisition and the forced conversions of non-Christians that followed. Some guides mention, in passing, that the Jews were "invited to leave" in 1492 and the Muslims were eventually given the same invitation.
Regardless of how the story is told, La Seo is a prime example of Mudejar architecture, a warm, decorative style that reflects Islamic traditions and is unique to Aragon. UNESCO recognizes the region's many Mudejar monuments as a World Heritage Site.
Christian-Jewish relations are also reflected in La Seo. One of its many chapels is dedicated to Peter Arbues, Aragon's first inquisitor, who was in charge of rooting out and punishing heretics, particularly Jews. He is said to have been assassinated while praying in 1485 by a Jewish convert. The Catholic Church later made Arbues a saint.
Ferdinand and Isabella, the founding patrons of the Spanish Inquisition, held court in Zaragoza for part of each year. Their throne room can be toured at the city's Palace of Aljaferia. The couple, known collectively in Spain as the Catholic Kings, are also remembered in history for uniting modern Spain and for financing the voyages of Christopher Columbus.
