Jaca cemetery

Jaca Cemetery packs an unusual amount of layered history into a small Pyrenean site — medieval burials, nineteenth-century tombstones, and traces of the Spanish Civil War all sit within the same walls. It stands in the town of Jaca, in the province of Huesca, Aragon, close to one of the historic routes to Santiago de Compostela.

Where the cemetery came from

The earliest written reference to Jaca's main cemetery appears in the so-called Book of the Chain (Libro de la Cadena), a document dated to the 13th century. Researchers believe the first burials on the site may actually date from somewhat earlier, in the final decades of the previous century. For nearly four hundred years, from the late 11th century onward, the town's main cemetery actually stood in a different location than today — in what is now Plaza Biscós. Archaeological excavations carried out there between 2005 and 2006 finally revealed the scale and character of that medieval burial ground, closely tied to the pilgrim traffic passing through Jaca on the way to Santiago.

Three sections that make up today's cemetery

The present-day cemetery is made up of three clearly distinct sections. The first is the Old Cemetery, the original part of the burial ground, located behind the Ermita de Nuestra Señora de la Victoria (Hermitage of Our Lady of Victory). The second is the New Cemetery, occupying the southeastern part of the grounds. The third resulted from an expansion carried out in 1994, covering the western section. Today the cemetery holds around 1,500 graves, 3,800 niches, and 144 columbaria for urns.

Oldest traces and architecture

The oldest recorded gravestone on site dates from 1842 and belonged to the vicar general of Jaca's cathedral, although documented burials go back as far as 1706. The grounds include architecturally distinctive mausoleums and family vaults, along with the graves of figures considered locally significant — scientists and poets connected to the town and the wider region.

A place of Civil War memory

Jaca Cemetery is also a site tied to one of the hardest chapters of twentieth-century Spanish history. Common graves preserved within its walls hold the remains of at least 312 people killed by Nationalist forces during the Spanish Civil War. In recent years the site has been the focus of historical memory work, including exhumations and victim identification efforts carried out by organizations documenting the repression of that period.

Why it matters

Jaca Cemetery is not a typical tourist stop in the sense of a viewpoint or a landmark building — it tells the town's story from a very different angle than the cathedral or the citadel do. For anyone interested in regional history, medieval archaeology, or the memory of the Spanish Civil War, it carries real documentary and symbolic weight. Its location next to the Ermita de Nuestra Señora de la Victoria adds religious and architectural context, and the layout across three historically distinct sections makes it possible to trace how burial customs and the town's spatial needs changed over more than a century.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly is Jaca Cemetery located? It lies in the town of Jaca, in the province of Huesca, Aragon, next to the Ermita de Nuestra Señora de la Victoria.

How large is the cemetery? It covers three sections — the Old Cemetery, the New Cemetery, and the 1994 expansion — with roughly 1,500 graves, 3,800 niches, and 144 columbaria in total.

Are there Civil War graves at the cemetery? Yes, common graves preserved on site hold the remains of at least 312 people killed during the Spanish Civil War.

What is the oldest surviving gravestone? It dates from 1842 and belonged to the vicar general of Jaca's cathedral, though documented burials go back to 1706.