Roman Catholic Diocese of Jaca

Roman Catholic Diocese Of Jaca

The Diocese of Jaca (Latin, Jaccensis) is located in north-eastern Spain, in the province of Huesca, part of the autonomous community of Aragón. The diocese forms part of the ecclesiastical province of Pamplona, and is thus suffragan to the Archdiocese of Pamplona.

Jaca originally belonged to the diocese of Huesca, but after the Moorish conquest of Huesca in 713 its bishops, (known as the itinerant "Bishops of Aragon"), moved to Aragon. The episcopal seat was established in Jaca during 1063-1096, then moved back to Huesca after king Pedro I of Aragon retook the city from the Moors in November 1096. The diocese of Jaca was created in 1572, carved out of the diocese of Huesca.

Jaca, capital of the mountain county of Jacetania, is situated on the left bank of the Aragon River, a tributary of the river Ebro, about 800 meters above sea-level.

The cathedral of Jaca, dedicated to the Most Blessed Virgin of El Pilar, is a basilica of Romanesque design, built in the eleventh century; it was consecrated in the late 11th century and altered in the 15th-18th centuries.

A religious and civil festival is held on the first Friday of May, locally referred to as "Primer Viernes de Mayo", in memory of a victory said to have been won over the Moors in the eighth century by Count Aznar aided by the women of Jaca. It is celebrated with a solemn procession in which the entire cathedral chapter takes part.

There are many hermitages around Jaca, but none more interesting than that of San Juan de la Peña, esconced within a cave in the Pyrenees. This spectacular shrine was also a monastery, royal mausoleum, and allegedly one of the many hiding places of the holy grail in the middle ages. It continue to be a stop along the Camino de Santiago for many pilgrims and tourists alike. In another cave, dedicated to La Virgen de la Cueva, locals gather annually to pay homage to "Our Lade of the Cave" - a venerated shrine where Garcí Ximénez was proclaimed first King of Sobrarbe in the 8th Century.