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Monzón
«Monzón destaca por su importante castillo templario.»Monzón stands out for its important Templar castle.
Monzón is located at the confluence of the Cinca and Sosa rivers, in the south of the Huesca province, beneath a crag topped by a Templar castle. The future James I of Aragon spent his childhood there under the care of the knights, and since the 1920s, the city has grown around the chemical industry.
Did you know
James the Conqueror grew up here.
James I the Conqueror, King of Aragon and Valencia, lived and was educated as a child in the castle of Monzón.
How they talk in Monzón
«Cinca» is a continuous reference because the river structures the territory, agriculture and local identity. In the province, Castilian, Aragonese and Catalan coexist depending on the valleys and eastern areas.
charrar
To speak; to chat. Used in Aragonese speech to converse or talk, also in derivatives like «charrada».
Everyday life in Monzón
The Templar castle above our heads
The fortress on the hill belonged to the Templars and hosted Jaime I as a child: you can walk up from the centre in a quarter of an hour, and it is the place where you take visitors.
«El castillo fue de los templarios.» — The castle belonged to the Templars.
The chemical industry on the river
The factories along the Cinca have been here for a century and have made the town grow: many families have worked in the factory, and the night shift is part of local life.
The fruit of the Cinca
Peaches, pears and apples fill the warehouses between July and September, and seasonal workers arrive from outside for the harvest. In those months the town has a few thousand more inhabitants.
What to eat in Monzón
Recao de Binéfar
Beans, rice and potatoes cooked together with vegetables and meat: it comes from the nearby village.
Migas aragonesas
Breadcrumbs sautéed with garlic, grapes and chorizo.
Crespillos
Borage leaves in batter, fried and sugared.
Festivals in Monzón
Bautizo del Alcalde
early September
The mayor is «baptised» in the square with water from the fountain, in front of everyone: a ritual mockery of power, which has been repeated here for centuries.
Fiestas de San Mateo
the week of 21 September
Giants and peñas under the Templar castle, which remains illuminated every night of the festival.
What to see in Monzón
Castillo de Monzón
The Templar castle on the crag, where James I spent his childhood.
Catedral de Santa María del Romeral
Romanesque church with a Mudéjar apse, on the climb towards the castle.
Museo de la Ciudad
The history of Monzón from the Muslims to the Templars, inside a house in the centre.
Where Monzón comes from
The castle where a king grew up
10th century
The castle
Muslim fortress on the crag that dominates the confluence of the Cinca and the Sosa.
1089
The Templars
Sancho Ramírez conquers it and entrusts it to the Templars, who hold it for two centuries.
1214–1217
James I
The future king of Aragon spends his childhood here, entrusted to the Templars.
20th century → today
The industry
The chemical industry that arrived in the 1920s makes it grow quickly.
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