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As we looked out on Plaza del Pilar, we instantly knew that we hadn’t allocated enough time to explore Saragossa. Like many visitors, we came to this Spanish town to see El Pilar, but even the plaza had so much more to offer. Saragossa (Zaragoza in Spanish), is a city of significant religious importance. Located inland in the northeast portion of the country, Saragossa is the capital of Spain’s Aragon region.

The First Church Dedicated to the Virgin Mary

Local legend tells us that Saint James the Apostle came to Saragossa to spread Christianity. As he prayed one day in 40 AD, an apparition of the Virgin Mary appeared to him. She gave him a 39 cm tall statue of herself and a pillar made of jasper. Following her instructions, he built a small chapel on the spot, thus creating the first church dedicated to the Virgin Mary. El Pilar is not the original church on this location. The church has been rebuilt many times, each time increasing in grandeur. The current Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar (or just El Pilar) was designed in 1681 and remodelled in the 18th century. Construction on the towers finished in the early 20th century.

The Pilgrimage to El Pilar

Thousands of pilgrims make their way here every year to kiss the small stature. For many, it is a stop on their pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. In fact, El Pilar is the second-most visited pilgrimage destination in Spain after Santiago de Compostela.

Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar

Cathedral-Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar in Saragossa Spain
This is our first view of the Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar, shot from the car.
Plaza del Pillar in Saragossa Spain
Plaza del Pilar seen from the Fountain of the Hispanidad.

Tour the Region

Pilar Square

Aptly named for the basilica, the plaza is called Pilar Square. In addition to El Pilar, we found a variety of statues, fountains, museums, and another major cathedral.

Fountain in Saragossa Spain
This fountain sits on the plaza outside of the basilica.
Plaza del Pillar in Saragossa Spain
Looking to the left, we can see La Seo Cathedral and the large cube entrance to the underground Roman Museum.
Fountain of the Hispanidad in Saragossa Spain
At the opposite end of the plaza sits the Fountain of the Hispanidad by artist: Samuel Magal, 2007.
Restaurants and shops in Saragossa Spain
Modern shops and restaurants fill the streets leading to the Pilar Square. This is the entrance to Calle de Alfonso I, about midway across the plaza.
One of a series of sculptures dedicated to in Saragossa Spain
One of a series of sculptures dedicated to Francisco de Goya y Lucientes. One of Spain’s best-known painters, Goya grew up and studied painting while in Saragossa.


Cathedral of the Savior

The Cathedral of the Savior, also called La Seo de Zaragoza is the other main Roman Catholic cathedral in the city.

Cathedral of the Savior in Zaragoza Spain
The Cathedral of the Savior.
A closer look at the bells on La Seo's tower in Saragossa Spain
A closer look at La Seo’s bell tower.
A closer look at the clock on La Seo's tower in Saragossa Spain
A closer look at the clock on La Seo’s tower.

More Information on Saragossa and El Pilar:

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Saragossa Spain is more than a pilgrimage destination to see El Pilar. It is known for stunning cathedrals, fountains, statues, food, and roman history.

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Comments

  1. Im sorry to say both your data and the one you link to are wrong, very wrong. First Aljaferia Palace is not Mudejar Art it is Islamic Art. Mudejar art did not replace other Architecture styles such and Gothic, Renaissance or Baroque, but it was a fussion between art styles, The East style mixed with the west styles. The Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar far from Mudejar , it is mostly Baroque with some, The Cathedral of San Salvador , la Seo for us does have Mudejar art and mostly on the lft hand side of the Basilica, it has a stunnning wall full of mudejar mosaic, https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/03/3b/0a/98/la-seo-del-salvador.jpg.

    The mudejar art that is Mudéjar Architecture of Aragon, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is to be found in the city of Teruel , also in Aragon. This unique artisitc style is only found the Iberian Peninsula, when is Spain three religions lived with respectfully, in Aragon are very proud of this unique style of architecture. It is a style of architecture that began in the 12th Century and lasted till the year 1610. Coexisitng with and combined with Romanesque art, Gothic art, Baroque and Renaissance.

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  3. “we instantly knew that we hadn’t allocated enough time to explore Saragossa” – We get that. In fact, we feel that almost everywhere we go. The churches you photographed are just gorgeous! We’ll have to make sure Zaragoze is on our itinerary the next time we get a chance to visit Spain. Thanks for sharing! #WeekendWanderlust

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  4. I had been contemplating visiting Zaragoza during my visit to Spain in March but ultimately couldn’t fit it in. Looks like I definitely missed out. That’s quite an unusual looking clock but I like it. Those sculptures are nice too, quite playful. I didn’t realise Zaragoza was a pilgrimage destination, interesting.

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  5. As a Roman Catholic, I think it would be wonderful to attend the festival or at least get to attend a mass at El Pilar and kiss the statue. Of course, the rest of Saragossa looks wonderful, too. I’m going to have a long To See list when I finally get back to Spain.

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  6. i understand that feeling of getting to a place and realizing that there is far more to it than you realized and you have not given yourself enough time there. Hopefully you’ll have a chance to go back. I was unfamiliar with this city but it certainly does seem worthwhile.

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  8. What a lovely photo essay on Zaragoza . I am reminded of my own trip to this windy city a few years back, It was great to reminisce. The bell tower of The Cathedral of the Savior, looks amazing as ever.

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  9. Aahhh Spain! I remember our road trip back in 2010 on the Southern part of Spain, from Barcelona up to Madrid and down to Sevilla, Granada, Valencia and back to Barcelona again..Thanks for sharing it again, Rhonda. It brings back all those beautiful memories of Spain.

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    • We did the first half, the same, Barcelona, Madrid, Toledo, Granada, Sevilla, then we continued into Portugal, up the coast, across the top of Spain, into France and then back down towards Barcelona.

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    • We only had a few hours as it was a stopped on our drive from Palamos (about 80km north of Barcelona, where we had a home exchange house) and Madrid. Clearly, it was not enough time, but better than missing it.

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  13. Aww My beautiful city Zaragoza!!!! It makes me very happy see you have done a photo shooting of El Pilar! 😀 And Yes, the city is very big and has a lot to see, the area of Expo with its modern buildings, the old bridge or the beautiful Aljaferia Palace that I showed on my blog here: http://www.travelera.es/2016/10/palacio-de-la-aljaferia.html

    Also the festivities in Zaragoza are very famous : http://www.travelera.es/2015/10/zaragoza-and-celebrations.html

    Thanks for sharing fabulous pictures of my city!
    Have an amazing week!
    Nuria

    http://www.travelera.es

    Reply

  15. Absolutely gorgeous pictures and the history is intriguing as well…amazing that though the church has been rebuilt so many times, the statues had stayed on. Would love to visit Saragossa someday 🙂

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  17. Rhonda, same experience in here. We visited Zaragoza as a short lunch break. It was hard to move on since we wanted to keep exploring the city. Well, more reasons to drive around Spain and make “proper” stops in certain destinations. #TPThursday

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    • I don’t know if there really is proper. I think the longer we stayed in each destination, the more we would find that we want to do. Spain is so filled with variety and intersting destinations.

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  18. Wow, looks like a beautiful area, thanks for the photo tour! I love visiting squares like this which are surrounded by history and architecture, it looks like I would love Plaza del Pilar. I’m especially a fan of cathedrals at the moment – there’s something about them which leaves me in awe 🙂

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  19. Spain is amazing and certainly home to many catholic cathedrals and places of miracles. Luckily enough religious history and architecture interest me. We plan to head back to Spain in the next few years and this destination will be on our list

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  21. Wow, I’m getting flashbacks to 20 years ago when I visited Saragossa while doing my college semester abroad! I love Spain. We’re headed back this summer, to Barcelona. I cannot wait. #wkendtravelinspiration

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  22. I seriously need to go back to Spain! I’ve only been to Barcelona but towns like this make me want to go back and see more of the country. Saragossa looks like a beautiful spot to explore and I love the legend associated with it!

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  24. A good friend of mine met through travelling is from Saragossa. I have never visited Spain, but your photos really make me want to pay her a visit now.

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  25. I definitely need to explore more of the Spanish mainland! I’ve only been to Alicante and the islands so far but it looks like the inland region has so much to offer!

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  27. What a beautiful post and lovely photography. Spain retains so much of its regional heritage you almost have to visit each region as a separate trip. Add to that the various festivals and you have almost an entire summer you could spend wandering the Spanish countryside. Of course, there are worse things you could do in the world.

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  29. We halted here for around 3 hours on our road trip from Madrid to Barcelona. Couldn’t explore much but the cathedral visit is memorable.
    I remember that statue of three boys with fish. 🙂

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  31. Saragossa looks amazing, I haven’t visited yet but it’s one of the Spanish cities I would love to visit. Now I know that I need to plan extra time here as there are so many things to see. The Basilica of our Lady is impressive and I like the story behind it.

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  35. Great photographs. It appears you enjoyed yourselves very much. Sometimes you don’t have enough time to explore everything you want to see. I would have loved to visit the cathedral. Always so inspiring.

    Have a fabulous day. ☺

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    • We only had half a day here. If we did it all again I think we would have spent a night, seen some of the ruins, and had time for a long, lingering Spanish dinner.

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  37. Lovely photos – that fountain is quite unique. I didn’t realize that Saragossa was such a pilgrimage site. In fact, I had never heard that before.

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  39. I hadn’t realised that Saragossa, and El Pilar in particular, was such a destination for pilgrims – did you manage to see the tiny statue? There’s clearly a lot to see there I can understand why you wanted to stay for longer. In the UK we here a lot about Santiago de Compostela but not so much about Saragossa.
    Great pictures I love the art work on the buildings and the statues and fountains. Your trip to Spain is inspiring! #Wkendtravelinspiration

    Reply

  41. Zaragoza has been on my radar for a long time, and even more so when I taught two Spanish girls from there in my English class. Beautiful cathedral! #wkendtravelinspiration

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  42. Is there a city, town or village we can drive to so we can get close to the trees? I know they are in the Alentejo region in Portugal and and we’re driving from Yaro.

    Reply

  43. It looks great, I would love to spend time exploring Spain. Definitely doing shorter drives and staying multiple nights is the way to go in Europe, where there is so much to see in a small area.

    Reply

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