Roda de Isábena: The Smallest Cathedral Village in Spain
Aragon, Spain
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Catedral de Roda
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250
XP
+100 Spain
= 350 total
1 day
Roda de Isábena: The Smallest Cathedral Village in Spain
250 + 100 XP
The first cathedral here was consecrated on 30 November 956 under the counts of Ribagorza, and in 1006 Abd al-Malik, son of Almanzor, burned it along with the rest of the county. It was rebuilt under Sancho III the Great, and its scriptorium was busy enough to be copying Plautus, Terence and the Epistles of Horace. The three naves and the crypts under the three apses were finished early in the 12th century. The diocese lasted 193 years and fifteen bishops, among them San Ramón de Roda and Ramiro II the Monk, cleric and king of Aragon. The village that is left has a few dozen people. The village sits above the Isábena with the Pyrenees behind.
Required Activities
1
of 5
Go into the cathedral and work out that a village of a few dozen people once had its own diocese, for 193 years and fifteen bishops
2
of 5
Go down into the crypts under the three apses, finished early in the 12th century
3
of 5
Find the Romanesque portal and read its carved capitals, which run from the Annunciation to the apocalyptic dragon
4
of 5
Find out that the scriptorium here was copying Plautus, Terence and Horace, and work out what that says about the place
5
of 5
Look out from the terrace at the Isábena valley and the Pyrenees behind it
Go into the cathedral and work out that a village of a few dozen people once had its own diocese, for 193 years and fifteen bishops
Go down into the crypts under the three apses, finished early in the 12th century
Find the Romanesque portal and read its carved capitals, which run from the Annunciation to the apocalyptic dragon
Find out that the scriptorium here was copying Plautus, Terence and Horace, and work out what that says about the place
Look out from the terrace at the Isábena valley and the Pyrenees behind it
Before you go
The cathedral is visited on guided tours at set times only, and the village has almost no services.
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About Aragon
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Challenge Location
XP Breakdown
Challenge XP
250 XP
Spain country bonus
+100 XP
Potential total
350 XP
Country bonus earned on completion of your first challenge in Spain.
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