Calatayud is a historic city lying in the past at the crossroads of Spain's most important trade routes. The Old Town has been preserved here with numerous Renaissance palaces and houses, and the city's pride is the Church of St. Mary with a magnificent Mudejar tower.
The city was founded by the Moors on the ruins of the Roman settlement of Bilbilis Augusta. They built a mighty fortress here that remains one of the largest defensive Arab castles in Spain. After the Reconquest, it was used by the rulers of Aragon and all of Spain. At that time, the construction of the most important monument and attraction in Calatayud, the Church of St. Maria. Its main part, together with the tower, was built in the Gothic-Mudejar style, and later reconstructions were made in the Renaissance and Baroque styles. Today, the St. Mary's Museum operates at the church, where you can see works of sacred art.
Around the church is the Old Town with buildings from the period from the 15th to the 17th century. There are several historic churches here, such as the 14th century church of St. Paul and Francis, or the Nuestra Señora de la Peña sanctuary with magnificent Mudejar decorations.
