Discover Sádaba: Castle, Churches and Nature

Sádaba makes history immediately visible: Sádaba Castle dates from the 13th century, shows clear Cistercian influence and has seven towers crowned with battlements.

Culture

Inside the castle are an arms courtyard with a large cistern and a chapel with a simple ribbed vault. In summer, during July and August, the castle can be visited from Wednesday to Sunday, from 11:00 to 13:30 and from 17:00 to 19:30. During the rest of the year, visits must be arranged with the tourist office.

The Church of Santa María is considered one of the finest examples of Aragonese Gothic architecture. Its single-nave interior is defined by chapels between the buttresses, a polygonal apse and a stellar ribbed vault. Inside are a high altarpiece attributed to Juan de Anchieta, wooden choir stalls and a Rococo organ from 1768.

History

The Mausoleum of the Atilii is located about 2 kilometres from Sádaba on the road to Uncastillo. It is a Roman funerary monument from the 2nd century, also known as the Altar de los Moros, and combines the functions of a tomb and a temple. Inscriptions link the monument to the Atilia family and name Atilia Festa as its patron. The surviving façade has five round arches separated by pilasters with vegetal reliefs.

The Synagogue Mausoleum is a Roman building from the 4th century associated with the remains of a villa located about 100 metres to the west. It was built in opus mixtum and has a central cruciform floor plan. It is protected as an Asset of Cultural Interest (BIC).

The Cambrón Monastery was founded as a Cistercian nunnery by Pedro II the Catholic at the beginning of the 13th century and is now considered abandoned and largely derelict. Under Archbishop Hernando de Aragón, it was remodelled in the Renaissance style; this included redesigning the church interior and adding portraits from the workshop of Jerónimo Cosida.

The Church of Puylampa, also known as Puilampa, is the only surviving part of a medieval monastery and a Romanesque building consecrated in 1191. It formed part of a former Augustinian institution that served as a pilgrims’ hospital and was directly connected to the Way of Saint James. The church is located about 3 kilometres southeast of Sádaba.

The easiest and best-signposted access to the Church of Puylampa begins on the road to Pinsoro (CHE-1506). After the first petrol station, turn left onto a paved track and then continue along a well-used track to a private pardina, with signs directing you to the church.

Further destinations: Pinseque, Lagata, Cerveruela, Lumpiaque, Farasdués, Cadrete, Talamantes, Longares.

Nature

The Embalse de Valdelafuén wetland, together with the Lagunazo de Moncayuelo, the Pantanico de El Vedado, the Estanca de Bueta and the Estanca de Castiliscar, forms part of a natural area protected by Natura 2000 as a Special Protection Area for Birds (ZEPA). The Estanca de Bueta has a dam whose masonry probably contains stones from Roman times.

The Sádaba–Embalse de Valdelafuén route is listed as a nature walking route in the Senderos Saludables programme of the Comarca de las Cinco Villas. It belongs to a programme that combines accessible walking with guided exercises and stretches. The Sierra and Bardena gravel route follows roads and tracks towards Sádaba. If you would like to combine culture and landscape during your stay, you can consider visiting times, routes and seasonal dates as separate planning priorities.

Annual Calendar

In summer, usually at the end of July or beginning of August, the Festival del Castillo offers musical performances at Sádaba Castle. The Fiestas de la Cruz in Sádaba began in 2026 on 1 May with the traditional raising of the maypole by the Quintos at El Portalico.

To the main travel overview: Saragossa.