Ayuntamiento de Castiello de Jaca

Castiello de Jaca is a small village in Castiello de Jaca, in the province of Huesca, in the Jacetania region of Aragón, home to around 200 residents and sitting at 921 metres above sea level, right in the heart of the Aragonese Pyrenees.

Where is Castiello de Jaca located?

The village lies in the lower part of the Alto Valle del Aragón, within the judicial district of Jaca, and acts as the natural and geographical gateway to the Garcipollera valley. That position at the mouth of the valley shaped its strategic importance for centuries — the name "Castiello" itself refers to the fortification that once stood here.

What is the history behind the village?

Long before the present-day settlement, a late-Roman watchtower stood here defending the route over the Somport pass. The Visigoths later took over the tower, and the site subsequently became a frontier line with the Muslim world, its castle playing a key defensive role for the whole valley. Traces of that fortified past survive today in the village's very name.

What can you see in Castiello de Jaca?

The heart of the village, and the axis of its historical significance, is the Romanesque parish church of San Miguel, built in the 12th century and reworked repeatedly over the following centuries. It stands in the upper part of the village and dominates the surrounding landscape.

Castiello de Jaca holds a distinctive place on the Camino de Santiago — it is known as the village of "the hundred relics." A large collection of relics dating back to the earliest days of Christianity is kept here in a silver reliquary placed beside the main altar of the church of San Miguel. Custom has the village mayor keep the key to that reliquary, and the relics themselves are shown to locals and pilgrims only once a year.

From Castiello de Jaca, a popular walking and cycling route also leads to the church of Santa María de Iguácel — one of the finest gems of Romanesque architecture in Aragón, tucked away among the mountain forests of the Garcipollera valley.

How do you get there, and when should you visit?

The village sits on the Aragonese stretch of the French Way to Santiago de Compostela, so every year many pilgrims pass through it on foot or by bike along a well-marked trail. The Garcipollera valley, to which Castiello de Jaca forms the natural entrance, is also a favoured area for hiking and mountain biking — spring and summer are the best times to visit, when the mountain routes are fully accessible.

A particularly good time to come is the first Sunday of July, when a minor patronal festival tied to the relics takes place and the reliquary is ceremonially opened. The village's main celebration, however, is the feast of its patron saint, Michael the Archangel, held on 29 September.

Frequently asked questions

Why is Castiello de Jaca called the "village of the hundred relics"? Because the church of San Miguel keeps a large collection of relics dating from the early centuries of Christianity in a silver reliquary — one of the richest such collections on the Aragonese section of the Camino de Santiago.

When can visitors see the relics from the church of San Miguel? The reliquary is opened only once a year, on the first Sunday of July, during the minor patronal festival dedicated to the relics.

What else is there to do nearby besides visiting the village? A popular walking and cycling route leads to the Romanesque church of Santa María de Iguácel, and the Garcipollera valley, which Castiello de Jaca opens onto, offers hiking and mountain biking.

What is the village's main festival? The main patronal celebrations fall on 29 September, the feast of Saint Michael the Archangel, patron of the parish and its church.