Bolea is in a privileged location. It is behind the mountains of Loarre, Gratal and Caballera, which at more than 1500m high protect the town; and it is also at the edge of the Sotonera plain, crossed to the west by the river Sotón.
It is a tranquil place where life goes on peacefully, and you can enjoy tranquillity, good local products and a relaxed lifestyle.
The main street of Bolea still bears the signs of its stately past. Big manor houses of the XVI century line the street. Houses which, in the eighteenth century, were emblazoned with coats of arms to show off the nobility of its inhabitants. We can count about 16 different coats of arms – a large number when considering the population of Bolea.

The Plaza Mayor is the place where most things happen. The Plaza Mayor of Bolea became the centre of the town in the XVI century.
But what happened in Bolea during this century that caused so much new building to take place? In reality, it was not only in Bolea but in all of Aragon. The sixteenth century was a moment of tranquillity. As the population and wealth increased, the towns changed their configuration. This is also the case in Bolea, which went from being a small, walled village to becoming the town it is today.

There was a Romanesque church in Bolea, the church of Santo Tomás, which was donated by Ramiro II El Monje to the town. But that church was not well maintained and being almost in ruins, a new church, the current church of Nuestra Señora de la Soledad, was built on the same site.
Why was the Romanesque church so run-down? One of the causes is almost certainly the expensive participation of the town of Bolea in the conquest of Sicily. Queen María de Luna, the owner of the village, heavily taxed the inhabitants of Bolea, even those who were exempt from tribute, like the nobles. That left the city without funds and with little maintenance, until the sixteenth century.
At this time, a religious guild was founded in Bolea – Nuestra Señora de la Soledad y Angustias – which promoted new construction. But it was not until 1798 when the work you currently see was finished. The floor plan of the church is a bit strange because where they wanted to build there were terraced houses and so there was no room to develop a typical floor plan with side naves.

An ideal place to stop, have a picnic and have a fun time with the children. As well as the fountain, you will also find the old wash house and a trough.
Probably for centuries, this was the place where many love stories began in the town. While the girls washed and dried clothes, more than one young man would approach on the pretext of giving his mule a drink. Can you imagine the history of this place?

We enter the oldest part of the village of Bolea.
Bolea in the Andalusian era had a walled layout, although this has almost disappeared in its entirety. In the bar called La Muralla (The Wall) next to the Plaza Mayor, as its name suggests, there is a painting of the old wall. In the 11th century. Al-Udri, the Andalusian geographer and historian, wrote that Bolea has “a beautiful wall”.
The houses were aligned from the highest part of the town, where the castle is, in radial form, following the contours of the terrain. The narrow streets still run parallel to the buildings, forming the urban complex in the shape of a semicircle, whose centre is the summit of the hill. The streets are called Calle Castillo, Calle Horno and Calle Herrerías.

This is a magnificent temple with a main altarpiece that was made between 1490 and 1503. It is one of the most beautiful works of art you can find in all of Aragon. The altarpiece is made up of sculptures in which you can see Christ, the Virgin Mary and other saints, accompanied by angels. Just above it is the Virgin in prayerful attitude on a crescent moon –  remember Bolea’s Muslim past – and flanked by angels. Above we see a crucified Christ accompanied by the Virgin and Saint John. They are not the only carvings; there are saints and angels with the shield of Bolea.

We can also see a spectacular work of art from the beginning of the Renaissance period. It is unknown who painted this extraordinary altarpiece that reminds us of flamenco-style paintings for the richness of its colours.  But currently, we still do not know the identity of this Master Painter of Bolea.

On the altarpiece, from top to bottom, you can see the story of Christ from the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary, through to the last supper and the crucifixion.

We leave you the internet link to all its history and description, so you can enjoy the Collegiate as it deserves, and satisfy all your curiosity. Even alchemy symbols!