Logbook · 9 places

What to see and do in Gelsa

What to see and do in Gelsa (Ribera Baja del Ebro, Zaragoza): 9 places across monuments, nature, activities and curiosities, with a photo and a Google Maps location.

1 Villages · 2 Monuments · 2 Nature · 3 Activities · 1 Food and drink

How far each place is from the centre of Gelsa

Church of Gelsa 50 m
Hermitage of Gelsa 50 m

Towns near Gelsa

What to see in Quinto 3.7 km · 11 places
What to see in Velilla de Ebro 4.2 km · 9 places
What to see in La Zaida 9.9 km · 7 places
What to see in Cinco Olivas 11 km · 6 places
What to see in Pina de Ebro 11 km · 10 places
What to see in Alforque 11 km · 6 places
What to see in Alborge 12 km · 7 places
What to see in Azaila 13 km · 6 places

Spain › Aragon › Zaragoza › Ribera Baja del Ebro › Gelsa

What to see and do in Gelsa

Gelsa
Village
Gelsa is a municipality of the Ribera Baja del Ebro, in Zaragoza, at 147 metres of altitude on the left bank of the river, one of the lowest-lying in Aragon. Its name comes from the ancient Iberian city of Kelse, turned by Julio César, before 43 BC, into the Roman colony of Lépida Celsa, the first founded in the Ebro valley. In the Andalusi period the population moved to its present site, closer to the market gardens and safe from floods, from where irrigation works such as the weir, waterwheels and irrigation channels date. Its church of San Pedro Apóstol was built in the last third of the 17th century reusing walls of the former mosque and was renovated in 1863; it holds the Santa Espina, invoked against hail and carried in procession every 10 May.
Festivities of Gelsa
Activity
Patron saint festivities of Gelsa from 6 to 12 September in honour of the Virgen del Buen Suceso. On 10 May the relic of the Santa Espina is carried in procession — local tradition invokes it against hail — and it is kept in a glass-and-gold reliquary in the parish church.
Church of Gelsa
Monument
Church of San Pedro Apóstol in Gelsa, built in the last third of the 17th century reusing the walls of the old aljama mosque and remodelled in 1863; it holds the relic of the Santa Espina in a glass-and-gold reliquary.
Steppes of Gelsa and Pina de Ebro
Nature
Steppe and saline areas beside the Ebro floodplain, home to protected steppe birds.
Festivities of invierno de Gelsa
Activity
Gelsa celebrates San Antón on 17 January (bonfire in the Plaza Mayor on the night of the 16th), organised by the Cofradía de San Antón, patron saint of animals; its main festival is in September, in honour of the Virgen del Buen Suceso.
Hermitage of Gelsa
Monument
Hermitage of Nuestra Señora del Buen Suceso, patron saint of Gelsa: built of brick and rammed earth, with a semicircular apse and an entrance porch of three round arches. Raised in the 18th century, it was burned in 1936 and later rebuilt with donations from the residents.
Festivities of invierno de Gelsa (San Antón)
Activity
Festival of San Antón Abad, patron saint of animals, with a communal bonfire on the eve of 17 January and the blessing of livestock and pets, a custom shared by the villages of the Ribera Baja del Ebro, amid market gardens of onion, tomato and pepper such as Gelsa's own.
Landscape of the Gelsa river plain
Nature
Gelsa, at 147 m of altitude on the banks of the Ebro, in the Ribera Baja del Ebro, bases its economy on irrigated agriculture with maize, alfalfa, peach and almond as its main crops, alongside rainfed cereal farming and a gypsum and plasterboard industry.
Vegetables of the Gelsa river plain
Food and drink
The huertas irrigated by channels of medieval origin in the meander of Gelsa produce onion, tomato, pepper, borage and cardoon. The production supplies the market of Zaragoza and sustains the domestic recipe book of boiled and battered vegetables.