The power of the church
Situated on the left bank of the Aranda river, on the route known as the Papa LunaThe town centre stands out above all for its urban development marked by the confluence of Christian, Muslim and Jewish cultures, the latter being traditionally linked to the origin of the town’s name.
In any case, it is the Islamic tradition that determines one of the most defining aspects of the town, the abundant population of Moors, counted in the census of expulsion as 2,699 people in 573 fires. In 1446 the town was sold to the Cabildo Metropolitano del Pilar of Saragossa and became an ecclesiastical lordship.
The urban complex, beyond the religious monuments, will stand out above all for its more industrial character preserved in the mill or the one known as central Brea.
Situated on the left bank of the Aranda river, on the route known as the Papa LunaThe town centre stands out above all for its urban development marked by the confluence of Christian, Muslim and Jewish cultures, the latter being traditionally linked to the origin of the town’s name.
In any case, it is the Islamic tradition that determines one of the most defining aspects of the town, the abundant population of Moors, counted in the census of expulsion as 2,699 people in 573 fires. In 1446 the town was sold to the Cabildo Metropolitano del Pilar of Saragossa and became an ecclesiastical lordship.
The urban complex, beyond the religious monuments, will stand out above all for its more industrial character preserved in the mill or the one known as central Brea.
Enduring Mudejar tradition
The parish church of Santa Ana was built between 1555 and 1556 with the intervention of the Basque master masons Juan de Gorostiza, Domingo de Lizarza and Juan Pérez. It is a Baroque temple with a single nave divided into three sections that welcomes the visitor with a façade pierced by an oculus and with a pediment that shows an eave of Mudejar tradition.
Attached to the façade is a brick tower with semicircular arches. In the 17th century, the Zaragoza master Juan de Marca was responsible for converting the vault into a barrel vault with lunettes and covering it with imposing plasterwork with ribbons, stars and geometric designs. The chapel of Nuestra Señora del Carmen, on the Epistle side, is also decorated with plasterwork in the Mudejar tradition. During the 17th century, Mudejar elements such as plasterwork became widespread, decorating vaults, domes, perpendicular arches and chapel entrance arches, which constitute the most genuine and personal decoration of the first stage of Baroque architecture in Aragon.
It is clear that the town centre has historically been marked by an industrial activity with a clear medieval tradition that has been modernised over time; this is the case of the manufacture of footwear, the importance of which is highlighted by the opening of the Footwear Museum, a centre for the study and dissemination of the footwear industry in the region.
The parish church of Santa Ana was built between 1555 and 1556 with the intervention of the Basque master masons Juan de Gorostiza, Domingo de Lizarza and Juan Pérez. It is a Baroque temple with a single nave divided into three sections that welcomes the visitor with a façade pierced by an oculus and with a pediment that shows an eave of Mudejar tradition.
Attached to the façade is a brick tower with semicircular arches. In the 17th century, the Zaragoza master Juan de Marca was responsible for converting the vault into a barrel vault with lunettes and covering it with imposing plasterwork with ribbons, stars and geometric designs. The chapel of Nuestra Señora del Carmen, on the Epistle side, is also decorated with plasterwork in the Mudejar tradition. During the 17th century, Mudejar elements such as plasterwork became widespread, decorating vaults, domes, perpendicular arches and chapel entrance arches, which constitute the most genuine and personal decoration of the first stage of Baroque architecture in Aragon.
It is clear that the town centre has historically been marked by an industrial activity with a clear medieval tradition that has been modernised over time; this is the case of the manufacture of footwear, the importance of which was boosted with the opening of the Footwear Museum, a centre for the study and dissemination of the footwear industry in the region.
Information
Town Hall: 976 824 098
www.breadearagon.es
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Tourism in Zaragoza
www.turismodezaragoza.es
Region of Aranda
www.comarcadelaranda.com
Territorio Mudéjar Network
The city council has been a Friend of the Mudejar in Mudejar Territory since September 2018.
Projects Mudejar Territory in Brea de Aragón
Pedagogy | View the project
Mudetrad Project | View the project
