Huesca - San Pedro el Viejo

The Monasterio de San Pedro el Viejo ("Saint Peter the Old") is a former Benedictine monastery built within the 12th century. A church had existed here (built on the place of a Roman temple) since Visigothic times and even, when the Moors hold Huesca, this church was in use.

Christian troops conquered Huesca in 1096 and from 1117 on Benedictines with obvious ties to Cluny reconstructed the church and erected a monasterio here.

This was early morning. Church and cloister were still locked. When we walked around, we found this portal, that once led to the cloister, behind the wall. It is so perfect, undamaged and unweathered, that I was impressed, but doubted a bit that this was nearly 900 years old. Meanwhile I know, that this portal and many of the capitals we saw later, are modern reconstructions. They are beautiful - nevertheless.