Serrablo churches facts for kids
The Serrablo Churches are a special group of old churches found in small villages in a region of Spain called Alto Gállego. These churches are in the Huesca province of Aragon, Spain. They are called "Serrablo" because that's the name of the area where they are located.
These churches were built a very long time ago, between the 10th and 11th centuries. This was a time when the Serrablo area was close to the Moorish lands of Al-Andalus. Many people believe that the churches were built by the Mozarabs, who were Christians living under Muslim rule.
Here are some of the churches in this group: San Bartolomé de Gavín, Santa Eulalia de Susín, San Pedro de Larrade, San Andrés de Satue, San Juan de Orús, San Pedro de Lasieso, San Juan de Busa, Santa Eulalia de Orós Bajo, San Martín de Olivan, Santa María de Isún de Basa, San Juan y Santa María Espierre, San Martín de Ordovés, San Miguel de Orna, Monasterio de San Pelay, Iglesia de los Santos Reyes de Javierrelatre y San Miguel de Latre, San Salvador de Basarán.
Contents
What Makes Serrablo Churches Special?
.jpg)
The Serrablo Churches have many interesting features that make them unique. Most of them have a small, rectangular main room called a nave. They also have a rounded end part called an apse and a tall, thin bell tower.
Unique Window and Door Designs
The windows in these churches often have one to three horseshoe arches. These arches are shaped like a horseshoe. They are usually framed by a rectangular border called an alfiz. You can often see these kinds of arches and frames in old Islamic buildings, like the Great Mosque of Kairouan.
The doors of these churches are also special. They usually have a light horseshoe arch with a rectangular alfiz around them.
Special Stone Decorations
The rounded ends of the churches (the apses) and sometimes their towers have unique vertical stone decorations. These are cylindrical (tube-shaped) stones called baquetones. You won't find these specific decorations in many other places!
The apses always have an odd number of arches. This is so that one arch can be perfectly in the middle.
Who Helps Protect These Churches?
In 1971, a group of local historians created an organization called the "Friends of Serrablo." Their main goal was to save these churches, which were starting to fall apart. They also wanted to preserve the local culture of the area.
Thanks to the "Friends of Serrablo," most of these churches were declared "Spanish properties of cultural interest" in 1982. This means they are officially recognized as important historical buildings that need to be protected. One church, San Pedro de Lárrede, was given this special status even earlier, in 1931.
The "Friends of Serrablo" have done amazing work! They received a "Gold Medal for Fine Arts" in 1985 and a "Europa Nostra award" in 2002, among other honors. These awards show how important their efforts have been in saving these historical treasures.
See also
- Friends of Serrablo
