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Montañana
Place of the Eastern Ribagorza, practically depopulated, that belongs to the
Puente de Montañana borough. The picturesque people is communicated through a
short gorge of 1 Km. of distance with the wide valley of the Noguera Ribagorzana,
for a local way that joins with the N-230 road.
It is located to 630 m. of height and it could be one
of the places most southern of the County of the Ribagorza, suffering the wandering
of Abdelmalik (1017). This bank was joined to the neighboring Pallars as demonstrates
the consecration of the church of San Martín in Montañana by the count Ramón
III of the Under Pallars (1026). Probably, it would continue linked to County
of the Under Pallars until its union to the Wreath of Alfonso II, who besieged this
castle (1190) - according to Zurita -. Jaime II incorporated Montañana into County of Ribagorza
when his son Pedro (1322) restored it . The high hamlet of çMontañana,
of showy characteristics, it is in the hillside of a rocky promontory that flank
two creeks that are joined to its feet. In its crest, there is a platform in whose
extreme is increased the tower already to the edge of the precipice; it measures 9 meters of diameter
approximately and half that watches to the church, was collapsed. Yet it is
appreciate the take-offs of its 4 plants and some loopholes. It is possible that it date
of first half of the century XI, and perhaps would be preceded of a walled enclosure.
The church of San Martín, distant some 40 meters,
conserves its
romanesque structure
of a nave only, semicircular apsis and frontispiece with archivolta, sculpture
in the tympan and capitals (century XII). The belfry is increased, rectangular
and decorated with blind archs of traces Gothic (something scarce in Aragon - of the
centuries XIV to the XV -).
Montañana conserves other fortification elements,
that they make it an interesting joint united to the typical hamlet and to another romanesque church
located in the low part. All the high hamlet was enclosed in
a near that it conserves its door only, of semicircular arch with voussoirs, and
other slender squared tower, of some five meters of side located to mean hillside.
Above of other buttress separated by the valley, is increased other cylindrical tower
in wrong conservation state. In spite its abandon, Montañana deserves attention
as Artistic Historical Set, as it was declared 15 of December of
1974. Emphasize since, in its urban area, important medieval remains in three
defensive towers, walls and several romanesque churches (Santa María de Baldés
and San Juán - both of the century XII -).
It exist a tradition about Our Mrs.
of Baldés. There was an appearance that occurred to few distance of the villa, together
to a house known as 'Mas de Felip' to whose service there was a shepherd that
had a crippled arm. The Virgin was made to him visible and entrusted to him the assignment
of the fact that communicated to the "montañanenses" (the neighbourings) that, by those places would have of finding
an image to the one which will give cult and honors. As test of her desire, heals the
arm of the shepherd. Convinced all, they attended to the place in procession and found
there an image in white stone, very similar to the marble, of almost three
height spans, and with a Child Jesus that he had in his left hand a partridge;
with the straight hand he was catching one of the wings of the animal at the same time that, very
cheerful, he was offering the index finger to the peak of the fowl. They took the beautiful image and
carried it to their parochial church, putting it on a lateral altar. For some
that other phenomenon, the image did not delay in appearing in the center of the greater altar
in the place that was occupying the headline of the parish (the martyr San Ponce),
time that this, it was happening to occupy the place that originally had the image
of Santa María. This prodigy compelled to the montañanenses (the neighbourings) to build a new
and valuable greater altarpiece, in whose center was put the effigy of the Virgin
* Manuel Tomé Bosqued.
Upper
Aragon, Literary Articles (Huesca, Spain)