Ayuntamiento de Zaragoza

Zaragoza Turismo

Monuments

Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Pilar

Location
Pilar Square
See plan
Opening hours
Winter:
  • From 06.45 to 20.30 on weekdays and public holidays
  • 12th October from 03.45 to 21.30
Summer:
  • From 06.45 to 21.30
Visit to the Museum:
  • Tuesday to Friday from 10.00 to 13.30 and 16.00 to 17.30
  • Saturdays from 10.00 to 13.30
  • Closed on Mondays and Sundays
Panoramic visit to the tower:
  • Winter: from 10.00 to 13.30 and 16.00 to 18.30. Closed on Monday
  • Summer: from 09.30 to 14.00 and 16.00 to 19.00. Closed on Monday
Price
Free admission to the Basilica
Visit to the Tower: 2 Euros
Visit to the Museum: 2 Euros
Visit

Physical Accessibility:

Accessible
  • Parking: Yes
  • Access: Adapted entrance.
  • Mobility inside the building:
    • Ample spaces: Yes
    • Adapted lift: No
    • Adapted bathrooms: No
    • Accompained Access to Tower
    Access to the tower:: Step at the entrance

Information supplied by Physically Handicapped of Aragón.

Chronology
17th to 20th centuries
Style
Baroque
Points of interest
Holy Chapel , Choir , Chapel of San Antonio de Padua , Paintings by the Bayeu brothers and Goya
Information
Cultural Heritage Monument (BIC)Document in pdf format
Text
The Pilar Basilica is one of the most important Marian sanctuaries in the catholic world and is visited every year by thousands of pilgrims. It is also a leading artistic centre with a collection of valuable works from different periods, in particular the frescos by Goya.

The present day building is closely related to the increase in Marian devotion throughout the 17th century. The former Gothic-Mudejar construction had become outgrown by the increasing number of believers and it was necessary to erect a new imposing monumental temple, which was closer to the triumphant spirit of the Counter-Reformation and the newly acquired status of co-cathedral.

The appearance of the Pilar today is the result of a long process that was started by the Zaragozan Felipe Sanchez and later revised by the architect to Carlos II, Herrera el Mozo. From 1750 onwards, a second royal architect, Ventura Rodríguez, was to have a significant effect on the building. He renovated the interior decoration in line with the new classicism of the period and designed the Holy Chapel and the "Coreto" vault. He remodelled the exterior building plan, adding cupolas to the existing central one -which was originally intended stand alone- and towers that would not be completed until the middle of the 20th century.
Link
Basilica of the Pilar