Basilica del Pilar

Tradition holds that the Virgin appeared to James the Apostle in Zaragoza in the year 40, standing on a pillar of jasper, and that a chapel was built around it; the present basilica, begun in 1681 and worked on into the twentieth century, is the fourth building on the site, an enormous baroque hall with eleven domes and four corner towers on the bank of the Ebro. Goya, who was from the province, painted two of the dome frescoes early in his career. The pillar itself stands in the Holy Chapel and a small oval section of it is exposed for pilgrims to kiss. Two shells hang inside from bombs dropped on the basilica in 1936 which failed to explode. One tower can be climbed by lift.

What you actually see

• The eleven domes - a baroque roofscape of tiled cupolas over the hall.
• The Holy Chapel - the jasper pillar with a section exposed for veneration.
• The Goya frescoes - two dome paintings from early in his career.
• The unexploded shells - two 1936 bombs displayed inside the basilica.

When to go

April to June and September to November; the Fiestas del Pilar in mid-October fill the square with the flower offering, a procession bringing flowers to build a vast mantle for the image. Zaragoza summers are extremely hot.

Honest expectations

The basilica is a working shrine and closes areas for services. Queues form at the Holy Chapel. During the October festival the square is impassable and the city is full. The interior is vast and can feel cold.

Nearby

La Seo cathedral and the Aljaferia palace are in the city; the Ebro runs alongside the square.