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24-502: Besides Jaca town, there are a number of outlying villages in the municipality of Jaca, including the ski resort of Astún . The origins of the city are obscure, but its name is apparently of Iacetani origin, mentioned by Strabo as one of the most celebrated of the numerous small tribes inhabiting the Ebro basin. Strabo adds that their territory lay on the site of the wars in the 1st century BC between Sertorius and Pompey . According to

48-635: A buffer zone in favour of the Carolingian Empire against Muslim dominions. By 799 Aureolo stabilised an independent county which gradually evolved until Ramiro I of Aragon (1035–1063) granted it the title of City and capital of the Kingdom of Aragon . In 1063 it was the site of the Synod of Jaca . As the Aragonese domains expanded to the south, conquering land from Al Andalus , the capital city

72-456: A local government. The bourgeoisie was favored by this situation and many became patrons of artists whose results can be seen especially in the cathedral. The city was consolidated as a military post from which to defend the peninsular kingdoms from a hypothetical French invasion. In this regard, Philip II ordered the construction of several fortresses throughout the Pyrenees, including in 1592

96-403: Is connected to the city by 33 km of the N -330. At his feet is the urbanization of the tracks, which had 6 inhabitants in 2012. It has 39 km of marked pistes , it is one of the most modern resorts of the Pyrenees. The highest point is La Raca peak, 2300 m AMSL , with a vertical drop of 600 m. The base of the resort is a purpose-built town which includes several hotels and apartments and

120-433: Is situated at 1700 m AMSL . From there the main chair lifts provide access for the resort. The resort itself occupies two different high mountain valleys, defining two sectors: La Raca - Sarrios , and Truchas . Each sector is accessed from the base of the resort using a chair lift. Astún offers a joint ski pass with the neighbouring resort of Candanchú . Almost all of the resort's lifts are modern and of high capacity,

144-490: The 11th-century Romanesque Jaca Cathedral . The Jaca citadel, a fortification dating to the late 16th century, is home to a colony of rock sparrows . The Diocesan Museum of Jaca (Museum of Medieval Sacred Art) protects Romanesque and Gothic frescos , some of which were found in the most remote locations in the Jaca district. Jaca is a tourist destination in the region for summer holidays and winter sports . Starting in

168-470: The 18th century, and the other one rebuilt in the same age. The nave and the aisles are separated by arcades supported by piers which are alternatively cruciform and cylindrical in plan, an element inspired by contemporary French structures. The capitals of the piers, in Corinthian style, have decorative motifs with vegetables and geometrical shapes. The ceiling was originally in wood: in modern times it

192-557: The atlas of the ancient Greek and Roman worlds, Jaca was a town where minted coins were made from the second half of the 2nd century BC, a small number of which are now in the British Museum . The coins show an unidentified bearded head to the right with an inscription to the left and also have an image of a dolphin. The reverse depicts a horseman carrying a spear to the right, with an inscription below in Iberian reading iaka . In

216-473: The cathedral's ceiling, which was rebuilt in the following years and was substantially renovated in the early 16th century. In the same period the aisles were added and the central nave was enlarged. In Baroque times the St. Horosia Chapel, the loggia and the cloister were added, while the interior received an altarpiece and other decorations. In the late 18th century one of the apses was demolished and rebuilt, and

240-525: The central apse was renovated. The cathedral has a generally Romanesque structure, although several elements are in Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque styles. The plan is in the forms of a nave and two aisles, with three apses and two external portals, both provided with loggias (one of which in Renaissance style). Only one of the current apses is original. Of the other two, the central one was renovated in

264-777: The chapel of St. Horosia, completely remade in the 18th century, is in Baroque style. Artworks in the interior include the altarpiece of the St. Michael Chapel, sculpted by Gil Morales the Younger, Gabriel Yoli, Juan de Salas and the Florentine Giovanni de Moreto (or Moretto ). The latter also directed the construction of the chapel, which is considered amongst the finest examples of the Renaissance- Plateresque architecture in Aragon . The altarpiece of

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288-445: The early 1970s, the city was transformed from being a small provincial and garrison town to become the gateway to a mid-tier mountain sports area with two major winter resorts (Valle de Astun and Candanchu) within a 30 km (19 mi) drive of the city. The accompanying urban and infrastructure development in the 1970s and 1980s was controversial, with many claiming that the town lost a lot of its original charm and authenticity to

312-415: The episcopal seat in Jaca, then capital of the Kingdom of Aragon . After Jaca became the capital of Aragon (1036), the city obtained the status of episcopal see in 1077. This made the construction of a cathedral church necessary. The starting date of the construction is unknown, but it is generally considered around that date. The main section of the church was completed around 1130. In 1395 a fire destroyed

336-565: The interests of developers. The development experienced by the city, with the construction of a nationally known ice-skating rink (the Pista de Hielo del Pirineo), a small convention centre (the Palacio de Congresos) and countless second homes, had a profound impact on the economy of the Valley (Valle del Aragon), where many of its inhabitants evolved from small-scale subsistence farmera in Jaca and

360-519: The oldest in the Iberian peninsula. Its current appearance is the result of later additions and modifications introduced especially in the early modern period (from the late 15th to late 18th century). The cathedral was erected on command of King Sancho Ramírez , who, after renovating in Rome his vassal oath to the Pope Alexander II (1068), had obtained from the latter the right to establish

384-682: The pentagonal Jaca citadel, designed by the Italian engineer Tibúrcio Spannocchi in the fields that had formed the Burgo Nuevo, the neighborhood built outside the city walls. During the Middle Ages, Jaca was home to Aragon's oldest Jewish community until the 1492 expulsion of the Jews . On December 12–13 1930 the Jaca uprising , a mutiny whose leaders demanded abolition of the monarchy,

408-404: The rainiest seasons are autumn and spring. The average precipitation is 768 millimetres (30.2 in) per year. Frost is common and so is snowfall , snow being common from late November to early March. Heavy snowfalls are sporadic and usually occur during cold spells. Jaca's average annual temperature is 12.2 °C (54.0 °F). Jaca boasts several medieval walls and towers surrounding

432-504: The resort has: The resort offers 48 pistes of different difficulties: 42°48′35″N 0°30′22″W  /  42.80972°N 0.50611°W  / 42.80972; -0.50611 Jaca Cathedral The Cathedral of Saint Peter ( Spanish : Catedral de San Pedro ) is a Catholic cathedral located in Jaca , Spain. It is the seat of the Diocese of Jaca . It is the first Romanesque cathedral built in Aragon , and one of

456-438: The surrounding villages to become part of a tertiary economy. Jaca was the host city of the 1981 and 1995 Winter Universiades . The city also hosted the 2007 European Youth Olympic Winter Festival . Its popularity for winter sports was a motivating factor in the city's failed bids for the 1998 Winter Olympics , 2002 Winter Olympics and 2010 Winter Olympics , which were awarded to Nagano , Salt Lake City and Vancouver . It

480-736: The year 195 BC, the Roman consul Cato the Elder began the conquest of the city, ending in the spring of 194 BC. After Roman rule, the Visigothic nobility took over most of Iberia. However, in 720, Huesca is conquered by the Muslims reaching out as far as Sobrarbe . Muslim advances in Europe had a turn of events after the Battle of Tours (732). By that time, the region of Jacetania would remain as

504-566: Was again the applicant city of Spain for the 2014 Winter Olympics , but the bid failed again when it was not selected as a candidate city and the games were ultimately awarded to Sochi . Ast%C3%BAn Astún is a ski resort situated near the town of Canfranc in the High Aragon of the western Pyrenees (province of Huesca , Spain ). The source of the Aragon River is in the resort. Ibón de Truchas attracts anglers. It

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528-461: Was moved from Jaca to Huesca in 1096. The loss of capital status did not mean that Jaca lost other urban functions related to its geographical location. Thus, it continued to play its role as a market city and services for its region. The plagues and fires of the late Middle Ages plunged Jaca into a deep crisis from which it would not emerge until the intervention of Ferdinand the Catholic to form

552-458: Was replaced by cross vaults . The large dome at the crossing is octagonal. On the four sides are several chapels built from the late-15th century to the mid-17th century. The earlier ones (those dedicated to the Holy Cross and to St. Augustine) are late Gothic in style, those designed in the 16th century (St. Michael and St. Jerome, for example) show late Renaissance and Mannerist influences;

576-512: Was suppressed with some difficulty. It was an early event that preceded the Spanish Civil War . Jaca has a submediterranean climate ( Köppen : Cfb ) bordering a submediterranean climate ( Köppen : Cfa ) with strong continental influences caused by the city's high altitude of 820 metres (2,690 ft). Winters are cool and summers are warm, with hot daytime temperatures but relatively cool nights. There isn't any real dry season, but

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