Holy Week in Spain: Part 3 {Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday - Zaragoza}

we awoke on Holy Thursday and set out to explore Zaragoza by daylight. immediately we noticed that it was far less crowded and tourist-oriented than Sevilla, with fewer Instagrammable photo ops! in that sense, it was a perfect place to come to observe the Triduum more quietly and privately. 

the main thing we wanted to see was the Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar, which has a long and fascinating history dating back to the year 40 A.D. it is said that while the Apostle James was preaching the gospel in Spain, an apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to him to encourage him to continue in his work. she gave him a column of jasper and asked him to build a church. about one year later, he built a small shrine on the spot. that first shrine was destroyed, but the people of Zaragoza kept the column (or pillar) safe until Christianity was legalized throughout the Roman Empire during the rule of Constantine and a church was once again built on the site. the church was rebuilt in the 12th century and again in the 15th century. finally, King Charles II of Spain began construction on the present church in 1681. 

as we were walking towards the entrance of the basilica, we heard the sound of drums coming closer. the pasos in Zaragoza are wheeled rather than carried, and their tradition focuses on expert drumming. 

 

once the procession had passed, we entered the basilica. the current church was built in a Baroque style, and it was fascinating to see how beautifully understated it appeared in comparison to the riotous explosions of variegated marble and mosaics in most Italian Baroque churches. 

the gorgeous main altarpiece

16th century organ and choir stalls

saying a prayer in front of the Blessed Sacrament

the incredible alabaster altarpiece was carved by Damián Forment in the 16th century

inside the basilica, a special chapel holds the eponymous column as well as a small wooden sculpture of Mary. pilgrims can kiss the back of the column, and children are allowed to come up to the front of the image to venerate it at specified times. surrounding the chapel are displays of flags from Spanish-speaking countries around the globe, as Our Lady of the Pillar was named the "Mother of the Hispanic Peoples" by Pope John Paul II. 

"here you can venerate and kiss the pillar of the Virgin"

on the opposite side, the image of Mary stands atop the column

the girls were able to go right up to the statue and say a prayer

a glimpse behind-the-scenes

chapel dedicated to St. James

their favourite: lighting a candle! (slightly less evocative when they're
all electric.)

close to the chapel, two unexploded bombs are displayed. these were dropped on the church on August 3, 1936, during the Spanish Civil War, but miraculously did not detonate. 

view of the oculus above the chapel of the Pillar

on our way out of the church, we stopped to say a prayer and kiss the foot of a gorgeous wooden 16th-century crucifix. 

back in the square, there was a group of men holding yellow flowers, standing on a platform calling out to the crowd. we couldn't quite tell what their intent was -- preaching? political grandstanding? trying to drum up enough people for a group tour? they seemed animated but not angry, and their presence was clearly sanctioned since they had a whole platform set up. i suppose we'll never know! 

the girls were clamoring to go back to the apartment and play, so Nick took them back for a little siesta while i explored the city on my own. i followed the sounds of the beating drums to watch a float being serenaded before it was carried into a church. 

afterwards, the atmosphere in the square was jubilant, with penitents removing their hoods and gathering with friends and family. i especially loved seeing all the kids. compared to the processions in Sevilla, these processions were less glitzy and stylistically impressive, but every bit as fervent.

a guide to the different vestments worn by each cofradia

next i walked back over to the basilica to take a few photos of its incredible mosaic roof, and then over to the Cathedral of the Savior of Zaragoza (known as La Seo). both of these churches together function as co-cathedrals of the city. 

the bell tower of La Seo in the background

incredible detail on the side of the cathedral

then i meandered along through back streets until reaching the small church of St. Nicholas of Bari, which now belongs to a convent.

 

walking back along the river, i passed by a building with Moorish foundations, and also a float being transported in slightly more modern fashion! 

that evening, the whole family attended Mass of the Lord's Supper at the Cathedral of La Seo. with the Gothic columns soaring into the twilight and gilt-covered statues peering out of the gloom, the atmosphere was appropriately somber. after mass, a large procession began directly from the cathedral. 

on our way back to the apartment, we ran across another procession. after the girls were in bed, Nick went out to visit the altars of repose, but found most churches locked -- perhaps the traditional seven church walk isn't as much of a tradition here! 

on Good Friday, we toured the Aljafería palace, built during the height of power of the Arab Muslim state in the 11th century. the palace is still in use today as the seat of parliament. the queue was stretched around the block, and we had to ply the girls with more snacks than i usually would dispense at ten o'clock in the morning! eventually we reached a place in line where they could play in the small trees near the entrance, and once inside the palace itself, we bought Greta her own audioguide so she'd be a little more engaged.

thank goodness for the trusty stroller! 

looking over the moat

possibly the coolest entrance to a palace ever

the Courtyard of St. Elizabeth (Patio de Santa Isabel) is named after St. Elizabeth of Portugal, who was born here in the palace in 1271. she married King Denis of Portugal and became Queen in 1282.

photo credit: Greta

the oratory, originally built to face towards Mecca and then
turned into a chapel

looking down into the well

incredible painted ceilings!

graffiti etched on the walls of the Troubador's Tower by prisoners kept here --
some during the 15th-century Spanish Inquisition, and some in the 18th and 19th centuries. 
the tower is the oldest part of the Alfajeria, dating to the 9th century.

detail of the ceiling of the Salon of King Pedro IV (who became King of Aragon in 1336)

the translation of the inscription reads: "Ferdinand, King of the Spains, Sicily, Corsica and Balearic, the best one of the princes, prudent, courageous, pious, constant, just, jocose, and Isabella, queen, superior to all woman because her pity and greatness of spirit, distinguished matrimony very victorious with the help of Christ, after liberating Andalusia from Moors, expelled the old and ferocious enemy, ordered to build this work the year of the Salvation of 1492."

more incredible ceilings!

then there was this...

the entrance to the throne room

little museum-goers

of course i had to make them pose under this intricate doorway!

the ceiling of the Salon de Santa Isabel (St. Elizabeth)

perhaps St. Elizabeth of Portugal played with a toy
on this very window ledge as a child!

we headed back to the basilica to attend the Liturgy of the Word and the Veneration of the Cross. the service featured beautiful music by a children's choir. when we went up to kiss the foot of the cross, Cecilia said, "i yuv Jesus. i want to kiss Him again." melt my heart!

by the time we emerged from the basilica ninety minutes later, the Procession of the Holy Burial had already begun. this is the longest procession in the entire country of Spain, lasting for three hours, with floats for each event from the entrance into Jerusalem through the Passion. every single one of the twenty-five cofradias participates, including about 4,000 drummers. we watched just until it started to get dark. the primal insistence of the drum beats evoked a feeling of unease and dread that seemed appropriate for remembering the death of our Lord.

on Holy Saturday, we decided that the girls deserved a little more kid-focused fun, so we rode the bus all the way out to the local amusement park. despite the fact that it didn't feel very liturgically appropriate, it was absolutely the best decision for the day. of course, i firmly believe that exposing them to cultural treasures and beautiful liturgies is part of our duty as parents, but travel is stressful for little ones who thrive on routine, and we ask a lot of them on these trips. so it was wonderful for all of us to spend several hours in an environment where they could decide what they wanted to do next -- and they could run, and jump, and make noise! 

seeing a new part of town on the bus ride!

Greta's face says it all!

a Cece-size train

Greta insisted that she wanted to climb this rope structure. she got up about halfway on her own and then couldn't quite figure out  how to move forward, so one of the staff (who spoke a bit of English) climbed up to help her. she was determined -- and she did it! when she emerged from the bottom of the tube slide, she was smiling ear to ear!

proud girlie!

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then perhaps the funniest moment of the day, when the girls got to do the super trampoline. this was one of the most popular attractions at the park, but they waited in line twice to be able to do it. for Cecilia, they had a rope attached to the harness so that the parent could "help".

Greta's favourite thing was a toss-up between the trampoline and the bumper cars. she has her daddy's need for speed, that's for sure! 

we rode on a little rollercoaster together

Daddy won some toys for them!

papá caliente!!

they both loved the dinosaur safari ride. Greta pretended to be the tour guide. 

that evening, i had the opportunity to attend my most favourite liturgy of the year, the Easter Vigil. this year marked the tenth anniversary of my entrance into the church — a decade of learning and loving Jesus with a richness, fullness, and depth i never imagined before cracking open the writings of the early church fathers to read them for myself, then going through the RCIA process, and then finally walking down the aisle of the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in Altoona, PA, proclaiming my new understanding of my faith, and receiving the Eucharist for the first time. it was one of the happiest days of my life, along with my wedding day and the births of our children.

Nick and I took shifts for the vigil — he put the girls to bed while i went to a 9 pm service at the Iglesia de San Pablo, with its 15th century organ still in use (!), and this gorgeous altarpiece. despite the beautiful setting, the liturgy was sloppy, the organist kept making mistakes, there was no choir or cantor, and the recessional hymn was the Battle Hymn of the Republic (“Glory, glory hallelujah, his truth is marching on”), which was just a bit bizarre. as distracting as all these things were, guess what? Jesus rose. He is alive. Easter came! as i knelt in my pew after receiving the Eucharist, tears began to flow. He loves us, so much. the liturgy is important, but He is the most important. and He is risen! He is risen, indeed!