Tarazona

Crossed by the River Queiles, the city of Tarazona, is one of the most beautiful and original ensembles of Aragon. Nowadays, the Roman Turiaso is a jewel of the Mudejar. Its cathedral of Santa María de la Huerta is considered the “Sistine Chapel” of the Spanish Renaissance. We also admire the unique octagonal bullring. The church of Santa María Magdalena is the oldest preserved temple in Tarazona and its Mudejar tower is the main visual reference of the old town. The archiepiscopal palace was the ancient Muslim Zuda and a temporary residence for the Aragonese kings. In the northern medieval tower is the Hall of Bishops, covered with a Mudejar coffered ceiling. In the Plaza del Mercado you can admire the monumental Renaissance façade of the Town Hall, which has a frieze representing the triumphant procession of Charles V after his coronation in Bologna.

The palace-garden of Eguarás was built in the 16th century in the Renaissance style and subsequently enlarged and renovated several times. In the district of Tórtoles is where we find the mosque of the same name. Built in the mid-15th century, it is one of the later works of Muslim culture in the Peninsula. The great value of its wooden roof is a key feature of its interior. A walk through its walls and hanging houses and its magnificent Jewish quarter, narrow and winding streets, complete the visit to this beautiful city.

Position on the route

Heart of Moncayo Route

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Jewish quarter

The district of the Jewish quarter sits at the foot of the Zuda, occupying a limited space that was closed by gateways that were located in the main access streets. Today, in the place where those gateways were once found, we find some slabs on the ground with the shape of the Iberian Peninsula and a small inscription in Hebrew. Perhaps the most emblematic structure of the Jewish quarter is its hanging houses, a group of houses that were added to the parapet walk of the medieval wall, where families of the Tarazona nobility once lived. Tarazona is one of the cities subscribed to the Network of Spanish Jewish Quarters that aims to defend the urban, architectural, historical, artistic and cultural heritage of the Sephardic legacy.