Village
Borja is the capital of the comarca of Campo de Borja, in the province of Zaragoza, known for its collegiate church of Santa María and for the winemaking tradition of the garnacha grape, the heart of the denomination of origin that bears its name. The town gave its name to the Borja family, also called Borgia, originally from this Aragonese town, which rose to great prominence in Italy during the Renaissance.
Monument
The collegiate church of Santa María rises in Borja (Zaragoza) as a monumental complex formed by the church, with a single nave of five bays with a barrel vault and side chapels between buttresses, and a cloister attached to its south side, square in plan with ribbed vaults. The whole construction is of brick except for the base of the Clock Tower, in ashlar, as it is the oldest part. The complex began to be built in the 12th century in Romanesque style, continued in Gothic and Mudéjar - visible in the Clock Tower and the layout of the cloister - and was completely rebuilt in Classicist Baroque after the fire of 1775. The church received the title of collegiate church in 1449, granted by Pope Nicholas V, and in 1852 it was reduced to the rank of major parish church.
Curiosity
The Campo de Borja is an Aragonese comarca in the west of the province of Zaragoza, whose capital, Borja, stands on the río Huecha less than 70 km from Zaragoza. It is a land of continentalised Mediterranean climate, with long, hot summers, cold winters and the cierzo wind blowing all year round, conditions that have traditionally favoured the cultivation of the vine. The comarca gives its name to the Campo de Borja denomination of origin, whose production is centred mainly on red wines, together with rosés increasingly appreciated by critics, while its young wines enjoy great popularity with the public.
Activity
The patronal festivities of Borja are held in honour of the Virgen de la Peana on the first Sunday of May, lasting around four days, from Friday to Monday. Their central event is the Rosario de Cristal, an evening procession with more than one hundred and twenty illuminated lanterns representing the mysteries of the Rosary, followed by the image of the Virgin carried by young people of the town; this tradition dates back to 1928 and was declared a Fiesta de Interés Turístico Regional (a regional tourist heritage festival) in 2005. On Sunday the flower offering to the patron saint takes place; her image is venerated all year round in the Colegiata, where the main Mass is also celebrated.
Activity
The festivities of San Bartolomé de Borja are held on 24 and 25 August. The danza del roscón is a street parade of eight paloteadores (stick dancers) with two sticks each, escorting the roscón, a sweet cake carried by the stewards; after the solemn mass in the church of San Bartolomé, the Dance and Paloteado is performed in the Plaza del Olmo, with the characters of the mayoral, the rabadán, the devil and the angel.
Nature
The Huecha rises at around 1,000 m from the confluence of the Barranco de Morana and the Barranco de Horcajuelo, on the slope of the Moncayo, and receives inflows from karst springs such as those of the caves of Añón. It gives its name to the middle valley occupied by Borja, situated on the slope of a hill crowned by its castle, and to the wine-growing region of the Campo de Borja, which extends from the Moncayo massif to the banks of the Ebro.
Monument
The clock tower of Borja forms part of the collegiate church of Santa María and is located on the south side of the last bay of the church's nave. Unlike the rest of the building, which is built in brick, the base of the tower is of ashlar stone, being the oldest part of the construction; its Mudéjar style can also be seen in the design of the cloister and in the decoration of the collegiate church's apse. In 1591 the tower's spire collapsed, leading to a renovation in 1596 in which it was decided to give it greater height.
Monument
The convento de la Concepción is among the heritage buildings of Borja, capital of the Campo de Borja, alongside the Colegiata de Santa María and the castillo de la Zuda.
Activity
The medieval market of Borja is held as part of the historical re-enactment of the Catholic Monarchs' entry into the town in 1492, at the end of July, with a medieval market and craftspeople's camp in the Parque San Francisco, a royal cavalcade through the historic centre, and federated medieval combat in the Plaza del Mercado.
Curiosity
Holy Week in Borja (Zaragoza) is one of the city's most deeply rooted celebrations, with central events running from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday and the Burial of Christ taking centre stage on Good Friday. Its origins go back to the 17th century: the oldest documented procession, that of Maundy Thursday or of the Christs, dates from 1658 and arose in connection with the convent of San Francisco. The Burial of Christ derives from the Descent from the Cross ceremony, established in 1730, in which an articulated Christ figure — still used today — was lowered from a cross that is still preserved; since 1746 it has been organised by the confraternity of the Souls and San Isidro. Borja's confraternities, since the 17th century, have processed in black tunics and hoods of the same colour, a habit fixed by the rules of 1831.
Historical milestone
The hill that dominates present-day Borja was occupied from the fifth century BC by the Celtiberian settlement of Bursau, which came to mint its own coinage. From that place name derived the Arabic Burya and, with the Christian conquest, the Castilian name of the villa.
Historical milestone
Borja passed into Christian hands in the first third of the twelfth century, during the advance of Alfonso I the Battler along the Huecha valley. The villa remained as a frontier stronghold facing Castile and Navarre and retained a numerous Mudéjar population.
Historical milestone
In 1438 Borja obtained the title of city, recognition of its weight as the head of an agricultural territory and of its military role on the frontier. The privilege consolidated its jurisdiction over the surrounding hamlets and its representation in the Cortes.
Historical milestone
In 1706 the troops supporting Archduke Charles attacked Borja, which remained on the side of Felipe V. Once the conflict was over, the king rewarded that loyalty with honorific titles that the city incorporated into its coat of arms and its official documentation.
Historical milestone
In 2012 a local resident intervened on her own initiative on a mural painting of the sanctuary of La Misericordia, an Ecce Homo of the beginning of the twentieth century. The result travelled around the world and turned the sanctuary into one of the most visited places in the comarca.