Sangüesa - Santa María la Real

"Santa María la Real" is one of the highlights for all people following the "Camino Aragonés" - since about 800 years. The facade is impressing it may take hours, to find out the many details. I stayed an extra day, when I had reached the town, just to see the shadows movig over the carvings.

A church did exist here already in 1131 next to the bridge crossing the river Aragon. It was transferred by Alfonso I to the "Knights Hospitaller" (aka "Order of Saint John", later "Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta"). The apse is the oldest part of the structure and probably dates back to that time.

The nave and the breathtaking Southern Portal of Santa María la Real were created late 12th/13th century. I have uploaded a "total overview" earlier and will now focus on some details.

This is (a part) of the left triangel next to the semicircular archivolts.
For me, this looks rather chaotic. It is full of enigmatic "stories".

The strangest is connected to the Norse/Germanic mythology, the Edda. The person killing a dragon with a sword is Sigurd (aka Siegfried), below him is his stepfather Reginn, the mythical blacksmith, probably just reforging the sword Gram. Even the deer below may play a role in here, as the sleeping valkyrie Brynhild is been awakend by Sigurd, after he killed the dragon and Reginn (they were brothers)..... No! The large bowing giant may well be the sleeping valkyrie Brynhild. Seen here is the scene, when Sigurd is waking her up..