Between the Plaza del Pilar and the Ebro is Zaragoza's second cathedral, the pilgrimage church of Nuestra Señora del Pilar, or Virgen del Pilar, the best view of which is from the opposite bank of the Ebro. The church was built on the spot where, according to the legend, the Virgin appeared on January second in the year 40 to the Apostle James, then on his way to Compostela.
A chapel was later built round the pillar on which she stood, and the latest successor to the original chapel still contains a much venerated marble pillar.
The present church is a rectangular structure, 132m/433ft long by 67m/220ft across, with a large central dome, ten smaller azulejo-clad domes and four tall corner towers. Begun by Francisco Herrera the Younger in 1681 and continued by Ventura Rodríguez in 1753, it was completed in its present form only at the end of the 19th century.
The interior of the Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Pilar in Zaragoza is in Neo-Classical style. The Choir has a fine reja of 1574 and magnificent Plateresque stalls of 1548. In the Capilla Mayor is a Gothic alabaster retablo (1484-1515) by Damián Forment and others.
Near the east end of the Basilica de Nuestra Señora del Pilar is its principal shrine, the Capilla de Nuestra Señora del Pilar, with fine ceiling paintings by Alejandro González Velázquez and paintings by Bayeu (1781) and Goya (1771) in subsidiary domes. On the west wall of the chapel, above three altars laden with candles, can be seen a small early 15th century alabaster figure of the Virgin on a marble pillar faced with silver; the Virgin's mantle is changed daily. Between the chapel and the high altar, in the north aisle, is a stone bearing what is believed to be the Virgin's footprint which is kissed by many of the faithful. The Museo Pilarista displays offerings made to the Virgin and jewellery with which the statue is decked on feast days, together with sketches for the ceiling paintings by Velázquez, Goya and Bayeu.
The Pilar Museum, located in the Main Sacristy Basilica de Nuestra Señora del Pilar, contains a collection of sketches which were produced for the decoration of the ceiling housed in a room once used for prayer, along with sculptures and paintings.
An exhibition of antique jewelry given to the Virgin is also on display.
Address: Pilar Museum, Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Pilar, E-50001 Zaragoza, Spain
In the Sacristía Mayor of the Basilica de Nuestra Señora del Pilar of Zaragoza are displayed liturgical utensils, church silver and numerous brocaded mantles for the statue of the Virgin.
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Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Pilar, Zaragoza.
Domes of the Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Pilar, Zaragoza.
Interior of the Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Pilar in Zaragoza.
