Daroca (Zaragoza)

What you can see and do in Daroca

The first sight of Daroca is one of the most striking impressions on the Way of El Cid. Between two high hills, the walls, towers and roofs of the town carry travellers back to the distant past. After a certain time of inexplicable neglect, a stroll through its many streets, passageways and corners can give travellers numerous satisfactions.

With an unmistakably Islamic layout, after the Christian conquest, it became a town with great strategic interest and came to be defended by three castles connected by a system of walls nearly four kilometres long. It still preserves a large number of towers and remains of adobe walls that in the evening produce a characteristic red effect.

Daroca is a town with several monuments in the form of churches, palaces and convents. Our visit begins in the Upper Gate, one of the main entrances to the walled town. This is where the High Street begins, a 700m long street that crosses the town from the east, at the Upper Gate, to the west and the Lower Gate, on the way to Molina de Aragón via Gallocanta.

As soon as we go through the Upper Gate, we find the old Jewish quarters on the right, which is nearly as old as the town itself. Most of the religious buildings in Daroca are on the same side, such as the churches of San Juan de la Cuesta and Santo Domingo de Silos. Both of them preserve Romanesque, Gothic and Mudejar elements of interest. Perhaps the most striking church, most clearly Romanesque in its exterior, is the 12th century St Michael’s Church. Some interesting Gothic paintings can be seen in the apse, dating from the 14th century; the scene represents the coronation of Virgin Mary surrounded by angels playing the musical instruments of the time.

However, the most emblematic church in Daroca is the Basilica of Santa María de los Corporales, probably built over the former main mosque. It has two apses of the original Romanesque church but its function as custodian of the miraculous cloth of the Sacred Corporals (13th century) meant it was enlarged on a monumental scale over the centuries until it became a mosaic of styles: Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque. The architectonic, pictorial and sculptural wealth inside the basilica means that its visit is highly recommended to art lovers.

Our walk ends at the Lower Gate, an interesting example of Gothic architecture. Next to the wall, but inside it, on the left of the High Street, is the Muslim district, which had its own way to the outer part of the town through the Valencia Gate. Outside the walls, on the way that starts at the Lower Gate and the Fountain with Twenty Taps and leads to Gallocanta, Holy Trinity Church belonging to the Convent of the Trinitarians is predominantly Baroque although some Gothic-Mudejar elements are a reminder that it was here, according to tradition, that the mule carrying the Sacred Corporals collapsed.

People interested in civil engineering will like to visit the Mine, an outstanding 16th century hydraulic work that was designed to divert torrential rainwater and avoid flooding in the town. A 600m tunnel was dug through rock in San Jorge Hill and its entrance is near the Upper Gate.

You also should not miss

• The castle and walls route. A route through seven centuries of the town starts at the Upper Gate: the Main Castle, towers with different names: La Sisa, El Cuervo or El Jaque, The Five Corners, St Christopher, San Valero or the Three Guitars, the Eagle, the Eggs and the Knight of the Spurs, and the Arrabal, Valencia, Upper and Lower Gates. Those are some of the landmarks on this route around the town and which provide the best views over Daroca. Very interesting!
• A walk through its streets. Churches, palaces like the one of the Luna, houses with coats of arms, fountains, old shops… In some ways, Daroca seems to be a sleepy town which lets travellers lose themselves in its streets and sometimes maze-like passageways and discover very unusual corners. Many of the secrets of Daroca can be found there, away from its walls, towers and churches.
• Since visiting Daroca will probably mean you’ll want to have lunch there, if not to stay overnight, you should try some of its Mudejar desserts, a sweet gastronomic trace of its Islamic past. Daroca is well known for this type of confectionary; we recommend the Mudejar plaits and the almojábanas.

Rev.: JGG 13.08.21