Discover Sabayés

If you’re looking for hotels for a stay in Sabayés, you can plan your trip around your interests: church architecture, fortified history, wine-making or hiking trails. Sabayés lies at the foot of the Parque Natural de la Sierra y los Cañones de Guara; the natural landmark Salto de Roldán is visible from the village.

Churches and local history

The parish church of San Andrés is a Romanesque building that was remodelled in the 16th and 17th centuries. Inside is a main altarpiece modelled from plaster. Two side panels and a crowning section with three folk-art depictions have been preserved. The exterior of the tower is divided into five sections by cornices. The church tower is considered a defensive bell tower, modelled on the towers that protected the Pyrenean mountains. San Andrés thus brings together Romanesque origins, later alterations and a defensive character.

The Ermita de Nuestra Señora del Patrocinio is a single-nave building made of ashlar stone, with side altars beneath round arches. Outside the hermitage is a house for the santeros, built in 1760. Locally, the hermitage is also known as “Gallinano”. The name is associated with an oral tradition according to which chickens that crowed like roosters are said to have warned of an attempt to steal the image of the Virgin Mary.

Castle remains, entrance and cistern

The remains of Sabayés Castle include the ruins of a rectangular tower and a rectangular depression dug into the ground, believed to have been a cistern. The Arco Coscullano was the former entrance to the fortified area. The village as a whole also has a defensive character due to its strategic location. The tower, former entrance and depression believed to have been a cistern represent different elements of the village’s fortified history.

Wine-making and water

Wine cellars carved into the rock lie beneath the castle hill and other parts of the village. Their relatively constant humidity and temperature favoured the fermentation and storage of wine produced in Sabayés. The village’s wine-making tradition is therefore also connected with the use of the rock.

Another historic structure is the Fuente de los Huertos, a Renaissance-style fountain dating from the 17th or 18th century. It was built from sandstone ashlar and has a round arch. The complex also includes a small livestock trough, a washhouse and a basin where irrigation water from the adjacent gardens was collected. These features served different uses of water: for animals, washing and irrigation.

Landscape and trails around Sabayés

There are six short hiking routes around Sabayés, including an interpretation trail through the area around the village. The Espacio Salto de Roldán interpretation centre is dedicated to the area’s botany and livestock farming; its building received the García-Mercadal Architecture Prize. A trail connects Sabayés with the centre. Trail conditions can change, so check the current state of the connecting trail before setting out. If you plan to visit the centre, check in advance for current visiting arrangements.

The visible natural scenery and short trails add a distinct focus to the area’s architectural history.

Discover more destinations: Hecho, Buera, Aínsa, Chía, Fago, Riglos, La Puebla de Roda, Biscarrués

For the broader travel overview: Huesca.