Santa Eulalia La Mayor: Church, Castle and Guatizalema

Santa Eulalia La Mayor is a gateway to the Parque Natural de la Sierra y Cañones de Guara and lies at a high elevation on the edge of the Guatizalema River gorges. This gives you two distinct aspects of the town to consider when planning your trip: its historical heritage and its landscape. If you are looking for a hotel for a stay here, you could first consider whether you would like to focus mainly on the town’s buildings or include the routes that start in Santa Eulalia La Mayor in your plans.

Churches, cultural heritage and archaeological traces

The parish church of San Pedro is a 17th-century building made of ashlar masonry and brick. Its construction history can be pinned to two dates: work began on May 5, 1659, and the foundation stone was laid on April 21, 1660. The start of construction and the laying of the foundation stone are distinct historical reference points; together with the century and materials, they provide a clear context for the church’s construction.

The Ermita de Santa María de Sescún represents an earlier phase of religious construction: it was built in the 13th century and is located in the highest part of Santa Eulalia La Mayor. It is classified as a listed cultural asset of Aragon’s cultural heritage; this classification was recorded in 2003. The time separating it from San Pedro makes the town’s different construction phases clear.

The Peña Mora archaeological site lies in the center of Santa Eulalia La Mayor, amid an oak forest. It adds an archaeological dimension to the religious buildings. This brings different aspects of the town’s heritage into view: its construction history and cultural heritage classification, as well as the archaeological site in its oak-filled surroundings.

Castle and landscape

The Castillo de Santa Eulalia stands on a rocky outcrop near the town center and offers views over the Hoya de Huesca and the upper Guatizalema Valley. Its rocky setting places the castle close to the town, while the view takes in two larger landscape areas. While the construction history is central to San Pedro and the Ermita, the Castillo is notable above all for its location and views.

Routes and reasons to visit

Two different types of routes are described. A hiking route runs from Santa Eulalia La Mayor to the Pozo de Cuello Baíl and back. Stage 7 of the Camino Natural runs from Santa Eulalia La Mayor to Casbas de Huesca and is 25.7 km long. It passes through Loporzano, Siétamo, Ibieca and Casbas de Huesca. The landscape in the Somontano of the Sierra de Guara is characterized by farmland and kermes oak. This gives you a choice between an out-and-back walk to a named destination and a stage with a specified endpoint and distance.

Another cultural attraction is the festival in honor of Saint Eulalia, celebrated in Santa Eulalia La Mayor on February 2. A pilgrimage to the Ermita de la Virgen del Viñedo also sets out from Santa Eulalia La Mayor. The festival and pilgrimage offer different ways to plan a trip: one is tied to a date, the other to a named destination. If you would like to plan your trip around the festival, check the dates for your travel year.

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