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Getaways to villages help us recharge our batteries, oxygenate ourselves, relax our minds, and, for those of us who were born there, share with family and acquaintances that human and direct relationship that is harder to achieve in a city.

My experiences in the village of Roda de Isábena, in the province of Huesca, of which I am an adopted daughter due to my marriage to a local resident, focus on the bond established with its inhabitants. Those who spend their everyday lives there are few, including temporary residents like myself, who at one point left the village and settled in other areas, usually in cities.

That contact has helped me delve into the history, religious architecture, and rural beauty of this municipality, the smallest in Spain with a cathedral. In March 2019, it was awarded by the prestigious magazine The Times as one of the six most beautiful “secret” villages in Spain.

One can get lost in its cobblestone streets, which hold the essence of medieval architecture, and catch glimpses of its corners, perceiving that historical richness: ancient monuments and buildings, true jewels of Romanesque style. Also, the viewpoints allow one to contemplate the beauty that surrounds.

Roda de Isábena was the ecclesiastical capital of the County of Ribagorza and episcopal see in the 10th century, which gives it great significance. An ancient temple was first consecrated in the year 956. However, it was destroyed in 1006, leading to a reconstruction process that lasted for quite some time.

In 1030, Bishop Arnulfo consecrated it again and the invocation of San Vicente mártir was added to that of San Valero, once his remains were brought here. First, the Episcopal See was moved to Barbastro. Later, Ramón Berenguer IV (prince of Aragon and count of Barcelona) transferred it to Lleida, after this city was conquered from the Muslims in 1149, causing Roda and Barbastro to lose their status as Episcopal Sees.

It was in this cathedral where I got married and where I learned to appreciate the austerity of a simple altar and the warmth of a crypt, attending various celebrations afterwards with family and neighbors.

Ampliar

Many times, I have been able to perceive in that space of prayer, a secluded and silent place, with a simple, strong interior and scarce natural light, the result of that spirituality that pulses in the buttresses of Romanesque churches. I have regained part of my roots among its walls and have felt materialized in its stones.

The entire cathedral embodies the spirit of rural Romanesque, where parishioners share the mysticism of a close and familiar celebration.

The entire cathedral embodies that spirit of rural Romanesque, where parishioners share mysticism

Their Cistercian refectory, with Gothic frescoes and 18th-century furniture, now transformed into a restaurant, nourishes the body and soul of all who pass through.

I have had several experiences as a diner, and I remember, in particular, a dull and cold afternoon, as the poet Antonio Machado would say, enjoying the harpsichord music while having dinner with my husband and some friends.

Illuminated by candles and the glow of lightning when a storm caused us to be left without electricity, this was an unrepeatable experience that can only be lived in places like this.

Roda de Isábena is a gem that deserves to be explored, a refuge for those winter days when the voice of silence is the only audible thing, with that soothing sensation of peace and tranquility that, far from going unnoticed, takes over your being.

However, in the summer it remains the square, with the view of its imposing cathedral, the Greek agora, a meeting place for locals and visitors to talk, share enjoyable moments, and celebrate the patron saint's festivities, where the hustle and bustle does not stop even in the early hours of the morning.

Perhaps I fell short in the presentation made about this charming town that lives around its cathedral, the first of the Kingdom of Aragon according to some publications, and nowadays, a gem of Aragonese Romanesque architecture.

This art form has been described as using simple shapes to convey a message of intellectual harmony to the viewer.