Description of the attraction
The ancient castle of Loarre is located in the province of Huesca, in the Sierra de Loarre. Loarre Castle is one of the finest examples of Romanesque military and civil architecture in modern Spain and the best-preserved Romanesque fortress in Europe.
This magnificent powerful citadel, the territory of which is 220 sq. meters, was built between 1015 and 1023 years. The construction of a castle in this area was of great strategic importance - it was supposed to provide protection from the Arab conquerors. The castle was built during the reign of King Sancho III of Navarre. Later, around 1071, under King Sancho Ramiras, the fortress was expanded and completed.
In 1287, the defensive walls surrounding the fortress were completed, the perimeter of which is 172 meters. The walls have semicircular defense towers and one square tower that served as the entrance to the castle. On the territory of the castle there is a beautiful, Romanesque church of San Pedro with one nave and a semicircular apse. The walls of the church are decorated with columns with capitals, which are decorated with sculptural images of biblical subjects and floral patterns. In the southern part of the castle is the Church of Santa Maria, next to which there is a water storage tank. Near the eastern gate are the remains of the Watchtower, which was supposedly completed later than the main defensive complex. Due to the fact that the castle is located on a limestone promontory, mainly limestone blocks were used in its construction.
In 1906, Loarre Castle was declared a National Cultural Historic Site.
