Mudejar identity
In the heart of the Grío river valley, between the Vicor and Algairén mountain ranges, Tobed has become the gateway to the Mudejar style not only because of the imposing church of the Virgin, one of the most genuine Mudejar monuments in Aragon and declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001, but also because the town has turned this unique style into a territorial project for the future that encompasses history, art, education, landscape, traditions and people and which has made it possible to use these resources to generate identity and wealth.
An example is the creation of the Espacio Mudéjar Mahoma Calahorrí, a museum of the history of the Mudejar installed in the Palacio de los canónigos and which shows the Mudejar art of Aragon and the social and cultural content in which it developed.
The town also stands out for the preservation of several traditions linked to Islamic trades such as pottery and ceramics, with the recovery of part of the Obradores neighbourhood, where nearly 50 workshops were once in operation with common working spaces such as the balseros or some of its ovens.
In the heart of the Grío river valley, between the Vicor and Algairén mountain ranges, Tobed has become the gateway to the Mudejar style not only because of the imposing church of the Virgin, one of the most genuine Mudejar monuments in Aragon and declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001, but also because the town has turned this unique style into a territorial project for the future that encompasses history, art, education, landscape, traditions and people and which has made it possible to use these resources to generate identity and wealth.
An example is the creation of the Espacio Mudéjar Mahoma Calahorrí, a museum of the history of the Mudejar installed in the Palacio de los canónigos and which shows the Mudejar art of Aragon and the social and cultural content in which it developed.
The town also stands out for the preservation of several traditions linked to Islamic trades such as pottery and ceramics, with the recovery of part of the Obradores neighbourhood, where nearly 50 workshops were once in operation with common working spaces such as the balseros or some of its ovens.
The paradigm of the Mudejar fortress church:
UNESCO World Heritage
The church of the Virgin of Tobed is one of the architectural jewels of Mudejar art. It is an archetypal church-fortress that began to be built in 1356 as a result of the influence of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre, with the patronage of Pedro IV of Aragon, the kings of Castile, the archbishop of Zaragoza, Lope Fernández de Luna and the pontiff Benedict XIII; it also had the best Mudejar masters of the time: Mahoma Calahorri and Mahoma Rami.
The power of its exterior with its compact volumetry, punctuated by turrets and buttresses, and its impressive main façade with abundant decoration in tracery and two-colour glazed ceramics contrasts with the delicacy and elegance of its interior, magnificent with its walls covered with decorative stucco and hollows decorated with carved and fretwork plasterwork in aljez.
This church thus represents the concept of Mudejar space in its purest state, with spaces built from variations in light. Intimate and evocative spaces, where nuanced light brings beautifully decorated walls to life. The interior completes its catalogue with a carved and polychrome wooden alfarje that currently serves as a choir loft at the foot of the nave, leaving the Baroque organ to take centre stage.
The influence of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre in Tobed is visible throughout the town centre, which, although striking for its simplicity and “white village” appearance, preserves important buildings from the modern period, such as the Lonja, the parish church of San Pedro and the Palacio de los Canónigos, also known as the Encomienda, from the Baroque period.
The town also conserves other elements of interest such as the tower of the Islamic castle and the hermitage of San Valentín on the crest of the Algairén mountain range.
The church of the Virgin of Tobed is one of the architectural jewels of Mudejar art. It is an archetypal church-fortress that began to be built in 1356 as a result of the influence of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre, with the patronage of Pedro IV of Aragon, the kings of Castile, the archbishop of Zaragoza, Lope Fernández de Luna and the pontiff Benedict XIII; it also had the best Mudejar masters of the time: Mahoma Calahorri and Mahoma Rami.
The power of its exterior with its compact volumetry, punctuated by turrets and buttresses, and its impressive main façade with abundant decoration in tracery and two-colour glazed ceramics contrasts with the delicacy and elegance of its interior, magnificent with its walls covered with decorative stucco and hollows decorated with carved and fretwork plasterwork in aljez.
This church thus represents the concept of Mudejar space in its purest state, with spaces built from variations in light. Intimate and evocative spaces, where nuanced light brings beautifully decorated walls to life. The interior completes its catalogue with a carved and polychrome wooden alfarje that currently serves as a choir loft at the foot of the nave, leaving the Baroque organ to take centre stage.
The influence of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre in Tobed is visible throughout the town centre, which, although striking for its simplicity and “white village” appearance, preserves important buildings from the modern period, such as the Lonja, the parish church of San Pedro and the Palacio de los Canónigos, also known as the Encomienda, from the Baroque period.
The town also conserves other elements of interest such as the tower of the Islamic castle and the hermitage of San Valentín on the crest of the Algairén mountain range.
The contents and renewal of news are carried out in collaboration with the Tobed Town Council through the Mahoma Calahorri Museum.
*This collaboration was developed within the framework of the Tobed Town Council project, financed by the Ministry of Culture and Sport in its 2020 grants for local entities with World Heritage inscribed by UNESCO.
Information
City Council 976 629 101
www.tobed.es
Association for the Integral Development of the Region of Calatayud and the Region of Aranda
galcar.es
VISIT TOBED
http://tobedpatrimoniomundial.es/
976 633 296
DO YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE?
Aragon Tourism
Tourism Calatayud Region
comarcacalatayud.com
Centre for Bilbilitan Studies
cebilbilitanos.com
Information
Town hall
www.tobed.es
Museum and visits
http://tobedpatrimoniomundial.es/
DO YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE?
Tourism in Zaragoza
www.turismodezaragoza.es
Centre for Bilbilitan Studies
cebilbilitanos.com
Torre Albarrana Association
torrealbarrana.com
Territorio Mudéjar Network
The city council has been a founding member of Territorio Mudéjar since 13 September 2018.
He is a member of the board of directors of the entity as President.
Territorio Mudéjar Network
The city council has been a founding member of Territorio Mudéjar since 13 September 2018.
He is a member of the board of directors of the entity as President.
Projects Territorio Mudéjar in Tobed
Monuments | View the project
Pedagogy | View the project
Podcast | View the project
Mudetrad Project | View the project
Mudejar wood | View the project
Identidades Rurales | View the project
Mudejar World Heritage 3D | View the project
Mudejar plaster | View the project
Mudejar and Euclidean Geometry | View the project
Didactic Mudejar, the guide | View the project
Preventive town planning | View the project
‘Circular’ Family walks | View the project
The wall as dermis. Light in the Mudéjar | View the project
Mudéjar Smart 3D | View the project
Sound contexts and Mudejar architecture | View the project
Mudejar Territory Projects in Tobed
Recognition and dissemination of traditional architecture through a series of routes.
