A representative place
of peregrination and devotion
This sanctuary that in other times was an
important monastery, is found in a rural and picturesque place of
an incomparable and majestic beauty. It rises below an imposing rock,
where an intermittent cascade flows. The tradition and the legend
are mixted in its origins by the staying of saint Úrbez at
this place, there for the year 750, according to the compassionate
highlanders belief of faithful to the tradition.
It is possible that initially had hermit life
for afterwards having Community; However it seems unlikely that then
would be governed by the rule of St. Benedict. The iconography shows
the attribution of ownership to San Martin, Bishop of Tours. It is
known that there were monks before XII century, under the jurisdiction
of the bishop of Huesca.
In 1110 the abbot Peter, donated the monastery
to the Royal Family of Jesús Nazareno de Montearagón
and was subsequently asked the saint to intercede for the offspring
of his third wife, Leonor, would be a male (as it happened).
For the same reason, later pilgrimaged in 1524 Alfonso Felipe de
Gurrea y Aragón (Count of Ribagorza) and his third wife
(Ana de Sarmiento) walking barefoot from Pedrola (Zaragoza);
they made a novena (nine days) to St. Martin and the February
17, 1525 a son was born to them who; they named him Martin. Pedro
IV, who professed great devotion to the monastery, demonstrated
it providing in the shield of the University of Huesca (which
he founded), that should be reflected San Martín, in his invocation
of the Val d'Onsera, near the crucifix and the image of Nuestra
Señora de Salas.
In 1522, with the breakup of the extensive
dependent territories of the Abbey of Montearagón, went to
the jurisdiction of the bishop of Huesca (seems that at that
time, the nuns had left the monastery, which threatened shambles).
But, he continued like Sanctuary certainly highly revered.
The canon Juán Agustín de Carreras Ramírez
y Orta (Huesca, 1639 - Ibieca (HU) 1711) lived as a hermit for
many years and like San Úrbez, came to evangelize around. Here
lies an ancient and illustrious brotherhood founded Jaime II
(militated as brothers he, his son and Aragonese nobles). It was restored
by Pedro IV who also enrolled his son and himself.
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According to Mr. Gregorio Garcia Ciprés,
Parish priest who was of Loporzano, the Cenobio of San Martin de
la Val d'Onsera is three leagues from Huesca, in the terms
of Santa Eulalia la Mayor, in a place with a backdrop of towering
rocks and multicolored, which only the human effort has been made
available. Here abounded in other times Bears (hence the name).
There are two huge boulders that almost
seem to come together at the top to form as a cover, where the wind
always blows; It is an area known as Puerta del Cierzo. From
here to the summit of Salvador, there is an hour on a bumpy
road that someone shortened for the shortcut named La Viñeta
(huge rock that stands vertically accessed by some stairs practiced
in it).
Acording some ancient writers, there
was here a chapel dedicated to the Salvador and by the neglect
of their caretakers made dissapear the door, being desecrated several
times for this reason. In 1588, the Bishop of Huesca, in a
Santa Visita, ordered to close `by stone and mud'. However,
a fence was colocated to allowe pray from outside. In time, its dilapidated
state conditioned its demolition.
It was prayed to prevent dangerous
descent leading to the bottom of a ravine, which led to a large view
of lush greenery, with a beautiful waterfall at the top. This waterfall
was produced by a stream that falls from about 60 meters. This is
the cave where San Martin lived after leaving his military
life.
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