HERITAGE
ALTAR OF LA VIRGEN DEL ROSARIO
It is located in the transept of the parish church: Nuestra Señora de la Asunción.
It is a work of Romanism style by the sculptor Juan Miguel Orliens, born in Huesca.
Two years later it was decorated in gold and other colours, according to what can be seen on one side of the altarpiece, by Juan Dominguez and Christopher Pardo.
This altarpiece was commissioned by the Council of the Village of Cariñena to that author with the construction and decoration of the hermitage where it was going to be placed.
This altarpiece consists of several different parts and fourteen mysteries of the Rosary surrounding the image of the Virgin.
Among all the reliefs that make up the altar, these ones can be highlighted:
The Visitation
The Epiphany
The Nativity
The freestanding sculptures in the upper part especially those representing the Calvary.
VIRGEN DE LAGUNAS HERMITAGE
It is located 6 kilometers to the north of Cariñena, between the towns of Alfamén and Longares towards Zaragoza, and in the middle of a great plain of vineyards.
This hermitage belongs to the 17th century. Currently, it has a baroque style with Moorish elements. The origin would be in an hermitage of the 15th century, a period when a farm or a village called Pardina Lagunas was founded.
From this initial hermitage the image of the Virgin is preserved and the tower dating from the 16th century
The Sanctuary consists of a set of units and the building of the hermitage. This hermitage is formed by a single nave with side chapels and all of it covered with lunette domes richly decorated, the walls decorated with plaster decoration appear as Baroque -Mudejar style.
It has six small chapels between the buttresses where the following altarpieces are placed:
- High Altar, chairing the Hermitage, from the late 17th century, with the image of Nuestra Señora de Languas with the Child, gothic style typical from 15th century.
- Altar of la Virgen de la Almudena, baroque style, from the mid-17th century.
- Altar of la Sagrada Familia , from the late 17th century.
- Altar of la Dolorosa , from the early 18h century, with a wood carving dating from the 17th century
- Altar of Cristo de la Cruz , in the early 19th century.
- Altar of San José and el Niño, the 18th century.
Ceramic is also preserved in the presbytery, this could have been made in Muel, from the 18th century.
This hermitage is visited on a pilgrimage, on Easter Monday by the residents of the nearby towns such as Cariñena, Longares and Alfamén. The first Sunday of May, the inhabitants of Almonacid de la Sierra visit the hermitage as well.
” LA MORA” FOUNTAIN
This monumental fountain, is located in the center of the Plaza España, which serves as the back of the town hall , built in the late 19th century. It has a round shape.
The sculptures that decorate it are four ducks around a column that supports a circular plate, with a female figure carrying a basket on her head with flowers and fruit, while walking.
This female figure gives the name to the fountain. Water comes out of her basket and from sculptures of ducks.
Wine is in this fountain the day of the Harvest Festival instead of water.
The tradition of celebrating the Harvest Festival dates back to 1585, the year that Felipe II honored Cariñena with his visit, during which wine substituted water in two fountains in Cariñena.
first Harvest Festival, as is known today, was held in 1960, but the history of harvest festivals goes back to ancient Greek and Roman wine calendars. There are also documents mentioning similar celebrations in medieval Germany and Switzerland. However it was the 19th century, when the harvest festival was generalized thanks to our French neighbors, where many such festivals took place. These festival were then introduced in Spain.
WINE MUSEUM OF CARIÑENA WINE REGION (DO)
It is located in the House of Vine and Wine, a typical winery of the industrial modernism dating from the early 20th century and restored in 1996. Here the units and services of Cariñena wine region (DO) are located: the Regulating Council headquarters, cultural classroom, wine tasting classroom, wine cellar, tasting room, retail store and the Wine Museum.
This museum provides a simple and understandable vision of the Cariñena wine region (DO) – its history, its present and future – through permanent exhibits, and different socio-cultural activities. It has a collection of more than 500 pieces, including traditional work tools used in vineyards and wineries, antique presses and winepresses, historical documents, etc. There is also a space for temporary exhibits.
CULTURE AND TRADITIONS
GIANTS AND CABEZUDOS
The two giants used in city parades were created in 1993. They represent two characters that some time ago had a small role in the history of Cariñena.
They are:
Manuel: The male giant. This man was the town crier who made public pronouncements on the streets.
Pilar: The female figure. This lady was a healer since she was a child and had the power to see contractures and healed all those diseases only by touching her patients.
These two giants weigh 40 kilograms and measure 4 meters long, they are made in one piece, which means they cannot be disassembled for transportation and storage.
Accompanying a troupe of dulzaineros with their bagpipes, clarinet and drums, they make these curious giants dance.
Besides these giants, the city has to liven up the streets with six cabezudo; big-headed characters that run after the children, while they make fun of their heads.
EL ROSCÓN DE SAN VALERO
This delicious dessert is made especially when the feast of the saint is celebrated, January 29.
After the mass is held in honor of San Valero, in the morning, along with the procession of the relic of the Saint, this roscón can be tasted in Plaza de España (Cariñena). The “La Mora” fountain serves as a tray-table to serve the people.
HARVEST FESTIVAL
The Harvest Festival of Cariñena is currently one of the most important events in Aragón. In 1960 it was held for the first time as we know it today, and it is a reminder of the ancient custom of giving the welcome to the kings of Spain with fountains of wine.
Cariñena was chosen to host this event for the Aragonese authorities, thus recognizing its historical trajectory and wine capital in Aragón.
In its first celebration grape stomping and wine fountains were the acts that lead the celebration. There was also a parade of floats, music concerts and a notable presence of authorities. Since that first time, it’s been almost half a century and the party has increasingly gained fame and recognition not only in Aragón but in the rest of Spain as well.
Over time, they have been adding new activities to the festival, giving it a more open character and achieving to increase its appeal, without losing any of its original essence. Moreover, in recent years a traditional act has been carried out: the Wine Train. An old locomotive and wagons were used in the past to move several hundreds of visitors to Cariñena. Today, it takes people from Zaragoza to Cariñena to taste the delicious wines of this land.
The festival has thus become an important showcase for local wineries, offering a beautiful image of the wine tradition of this land while bringing people together for a good time to be had by all.
RESTAURANTS
LA TORRETA
Pza. Alta, 1
+34 976 621 014
ILITURGIS
Ramón y Cajal, 1 (Pza)
+34 976 621 268
LA REBOTICA
San José,3
+34 976 620 556
MESÓN DE PACO
Cernada, 1
+34 976 620 039
LOS TONELES
Ctra. Nacional-330, km 450,3
+34 976 621 145
LA BODEGA
Mayor, 35
+34 976 621 209
HOTELS
HOTEL CARIÑENA
Ctra Zaragoza-Valencia, KM 47,9
+34 976 620 250
HOSTELS
HOSTAL ILITURGIS
Pza. Ramón y Cajal, 1
+34 976 621 268 / 976 620 492
PENSIÓN PACO
C/ Cernada, 1
+34 976 620 039