Colegiata Santa María La Mayor

The Collegiate Church of Santa María la Mayor de Alquézar is a religious and patrimonial complex of monumental character, identified as a church/collegiate church with cloister and annexed dependencies, located in the high part of the town of Alquézar, in the province of Huesca, Aragón. It sits on the rock that dominates the medieval historic center, at the coordinates indicated, and is part of the traditional fortified landscape of the place. The present church is a late Gothic temple built between 1525 and 1532 by municipal initiative and work of the architect Juan de Segura, on a previous building of Romanesque tradition. The complex preserves elements of different historical phases, with the presence of medieval traces and later reforms, which explains its mixed character between religious, defensive and monastic architecture. Among the most outstanding heritage elements are the medieval cloister, with Romanesque capitals partially preserved, the watchtower, some sections of the wall and the chapel of San Nicostrato, added in the seventeenth century. Also outstanding is the Museum of Sacred Art, installed in the upper cloister, with liturgical pieces and works of medieval and modern chronology. Its historical importance is related to the Christian reconquest and the transformation of an ancient fortress into a religious center. The combination of late Gothic architecture, Romanesque remains and Mudejar additions makes the collegiate church one of the main heritage assets of Alquézar and Somontano de Barbastro.