Loarre Castle and Bolea

Loarre Castle, the best preserved Romanesque fortress in Europe, sits 1,070 meters above an imposing limestone rock overlooking the Hoya de Huesca.

The castle is absolutely spectacular and was famously used as the film- location and set for such international Hollywood blockbusters as “Valentina” and, more recently, film director Ridley Scott’s production of “The Kingdom of Heaven”.  

The beautiful Collegiate of Bolea, which dates back to medieval times, stands on a former Arab fortress overlooking the old village. A magnificent altarpiece panelled painting inside this church combines some exceptional flamenco traditions with Italianate tastes and is an absolute jewel of Aragonese renaissance.

Both these monuments have in the past witnessed some serious confrontations between the two kingdoms of Christians and Arabs. Not surprisingly the two buildings are located in the territories that marked the political frontier of their respective domains: namely the External Sierras of the Pyrenees and the Hoya de Huesca.