SPAIN  |  Zaragoza, Spain Travel Guide
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Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Pilar

Plaza Del Pilar s/n 50003,
Zaragoza
Aragón
Spain
34 976 397497

Type: Historical Interest

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The leading monument of Zaragoza, this mammoth Baroque temple was constructed in the 17th century in honor of the Virgen of El Pilar, patroness of the Hispanic world. The Virgin’s miniscule 15th-century wooden image, the Sagrado Imagén, is displayed on a jewel-laden pedestal in the Camarín del Virgin in the basilica’s Capillo Santo (Holy Chapel). The marble pillar known as la columna is said to have protected the church when bombs were dropped on it during the Spanish CivilWar. According to legend, the Virgin Mary appeared atop the pillar to the Apostle Saint James in 40 AD, endowing the stone with miraculous properties that have since manifested themselves and inspired devout visitors to rub it smooth with kisses. A glance up and around reveals bright frescoes and cupolas painted by both Goya and his brother-in-law Francisco Bayeu. Among them is the beautiful Queen of the Martyrs, depicting the Virgin Queen hovering amid angels and Arogonese saints in the dome of the north aisle. For an angel-like high, an elevator leads to the top of one of the basilica’s four towers where there is an aerial view of the city.
Last updated February 22, 2008
Posted in   Spain  |  Zaragoza
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