Tower of the parish church of Nuestra Señora del Castillo, Aniñón

Tower of the parish church of Nuestra Señora del Castillo, Aniñón

Placeta de la Iglesia. 50313 Aniñón (Zaragoza)

CURRENT PROTECTION STATUS:

Asset of Cultural Interest (ACI)

TYPE OF ASSET: Property

CATEGORY: Religious

ARCHITECTURAL STYLE: Mudejar

CONSTRUCTION DATE: Original construction, 14th to 16th century. This was originally a Mudejar monument from the 14th century, which underwent extensive remodeling in the 16th century when the church was expanded and the gables and top part of the tower were built.

The defensive nature of the fortified church of Nuestra Señora del Castillo in Aniñón is highly pronounced, due to its position in the terrain and its imposing façade, which is completely covered in ornamentation. While it is unusual to find such profuse decoration on the façades of churches, this is more commonly seen on towers. Other examples of this type of façade can be found on the churches in Morata de Jiloca and Tobed.

The tower is attached to a side chapel on the Gospel side of the parish church. It has a square floor plan and a completely solid, square central buttress inside. The stairway is set between the inner and outer volumes.

What makes the tower in Añinón unique is the vaulting system, featuring pointed barrel vaults in this case, which are rare in Aragonese Mudejar towers, apparently, since no other examples have been found to date; its Gothic origins are clear.

The decorative elements found on the tower of the church in Aniñón include diamond or lozenge shapes, zig-zags and intertwined mixtilinear arches, all created using protruding bricks.

This tower and the west end gable wall were built prior to the current church, which dates from the second half of the 16th century; they belong to a previous building for which, on June 17, 1283, the bishop of Tarazona granted forty days of indulgence to anyone who assisted in the construction work, which extended for a very lengthy amount of time. It may date from between the end of the 14th century and the first half of the 15th century.

Interventions

20th-21st century: In 1985 and 2005, restoration work was done in several phases, encompassing the entire building.

Projects and interventions

Projects and interventions, and the driving forces behind them, define the history of monumental buildings and how they are perceived.

Declarations

20th century: The church of Nuestra Señora del Castillo in Aniñón was declared an Asset of Cultural Interest under the Ministry of Culture Decree dated June 5, 1981, which was published the Official State Gazette of August 10, 1981.

The Official Gazette of Aragon (BOA) dated November 30, 2001 published the Department of Culture and Tourism Order of November 9, 2001, whereby the original declaration of the church of Nuestra Señora del Castillo in Aniñón (Zaragoza) is supplemented pursuant to Transitional Provision One of Aragonese Cultural Heritage Act 3/1999, of March 10.

Bibliography

BORRÁS GUALIS, GONZALO M., Arte Mudéjar Aragonés, Caja de Ahorros y Monte de Piedad de Zaragoza Aragón y Rioja y el Colegio Oficial de Aparejadores y Arquitectos técnicos de Zaragoza, Zaragoza, 1985.

CRIADO MAINAR, JESÚS. La escultura romanista en la comarca de la Comunidad de Calatayud, Institución Fernando el Católico, Zaragoza, 2013.

MÉNDEZ DE JUAN, JOSÉ FÉLIX ET AL. (COORD.). Aragón Patrimonio Cultural Restaurado. 1984/2009. Bienes inmuebles, Gobierno de Aragón, Zaragoza, 2010.

SANMIGUEL MATEO, AGUSTÍN. Torres de ascendencia islámica en las comarcas de Calatayud y Daroca, Centro de estudios bilbilitanos, Institución “Fernando el Católico”, Calatayud, 1998. VV.AA. Tierra Mudéjar. El mudéjar Aragonés, Patrimonio Mundial, Heraldo de Aragón, D.L. 2002.

MORTE GARCÍA, CARMEN. Damián Forment: Escultor del Renacimiento. Zaragoza: Caja de Ahorros de la Inmaculada, 2009.