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Church of Isábena

Isábena, La Ribagorza, Huesca

1 Villages · 5 Monuments · 1 Nature · 1 Activities · 1 Curiosities · 1 Historical milestones

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Church of Isábena

Monument · Isábena, La Ribagorza, Huesca

Former Romanesque cathedral of San Vicente Mártir, located in Roda de Isábena, within the municipality of Isábena (Ribagorza, Huesca), in the valley of the river of the same name. It is the smallest town in Spain to have been a cathedral seat, and it is declared a Monumento Nacional (a Spanish national heritage designation). It was built between the 11th and 12th centuries over an earlier temple consecrated in 956 and destroyed in 1006 by Abd al-Malik, son of Almanzor; its scriptorium was highly active, copying works by Plautus, Terence and Horace. It preserves a southern porch and an 18th-century tower, which replaced the medieval one, as well as a cloister and the San Agustín chapel. The see of Roda de Isábena was moved to Lérida in 1149, after 193 years and fifteen bishops, and since then the church has held the rank of priory.

Photo: Carlos Buetas (CC BY 2.0)

What to see and do in Isábena