Monuments

ROMANIC ARCH

Located in the Valle de Tena square. This triple arch, dating from the 10th century, comes from the village of Castiello de Guarga, where it was half buried by the ruins of the church. Thanks to Ramón Sainz de Varanda, Jesús Ansirenea and Mariano Fanlo, then mayor of Sallent, the bishop of Jaca, Angel Hidalgo, authorised its transfer and donation to the town of Sallent de Gállego in 1973. This triple semicircular arch is an example of Mozarabic Romanesque, a simple but very original monument because nothing similar is known in all the religious architecture of Serrablès art. It has perfectly cut ashlar stones, smoothed with a pointer on the north access side. On the other hand, at the back, the ashlars are a little rough and rough with a less well cared for workmanship next to the fountain. From there, the church and the Peña Foratata can be seen in the background. In the central arch, which is larger in size, is the Chrismon placed in its semicircular tympanum, finely carved with its six poles. There are eight chrismons in the Tena Valley, but the one in the Plaza de Sallent is the most original, as it has the Alpha and Omega poles, asymmetrically placed vertically.

SALLENT GIANT, FERMÍN ARRUDI

In the central square located in the building of the Town Hall of Sallent and in his birthplace, there is a life-size statue of one of the most renowned and well-known residents of Aragon and in particular of Sallent de Gallego, Fermín Arrudi, the Giant of Sallent, who with his 2.29 cm. height, took the name of Sallent to all corners of the world, astonishing them with his stature and strength.

Fermín Arrudi Urieta (Sallent de Gallego, 7 July 1870 - 2 May 1913), also known as the giant of Sallent, the Aragonese giant and locally as o chigán aragonés, was a character famous throughout the Aragonese Pyrenees for his stature, he reached a height of 2.29 m and travelled all over the world showing his height. Rafael Andolz and David Dumall have written two books about his life.

Born in "casa Sorda", Fermín was a rather small baby born to parents of normal height, but from the age of 11 according to some sources and 15 according to others, he began to grow until the age of 25 when he reached a height of 2.29m, although some say he reached 2.40m, and surpassed the height of all known people of his time. Initially he worked at the Canfranc station, but soon after he began to show off his enormous body. At first locally, at a Pilar festival in Zaragoza, when he was 21 years old and his height was 2.19m, and later all over the world. In Europe he was shown in cities in Germany, Holland, Belgium, Austria and France. In North America in some of the USA, and also in South America, the Caribbean and even in Africa, where he was in Algeria. We know of the places he visited because his presence left reviews and headlines in the press of the places he visited. He was exhibited at the Universal Exhibition in Paris in 1900. He enlivened his exhibitions by playing instruments and singing "jotas". The musicologist Demetrio Galán, in writing El libro de la jota aragonesa, remembered him years later, writing that he played "the guitar, the violin, the lute, the tambourine, the small irons, the requinto, the bandurria, the flute and the harmonium", and all in an autodidactic way, as nobody taught him to play them.

He made a small fortune from his exhibitions (it is estimated that he earned approximately 20,000 duros), with which he built himself a house in Sallent and lived comfortably throughout his life.

It is also said that once when his donkey did not want to cross a river he put it on his shoulders and crossed it, and that he once killed a bear with his bare hands. Fermín liked hunting and often went out to hunt sarrios (chamois) and bears.

Finally, on 2 May 1913, the giant Arrudi died at the age of 43. The local parish priest wrote in the Book of the Dead some curiosities, leaving aside protocol, such as the fact that a ten-cent coin could easily fit through the ring of his finger and that his foot was forty centimetres long and eighteen centimetres wide; he also lifted weights that four sturdy men could not move. He left a deep impression on his neighbours, as he used to carry out charitable works. The coffin in which he was buried measured 2.4 m long by 93 cm wide, and was carried by six men.

CHURCH OF NUESTRA SEÑORA DE LA ASUNCIÓN 

Located at the top of the Vico district, declared a Historic-Artistic Monument, it was built in the 16th century by order of Juan de Lanuza, viceroy of Aragon, over the primitive Romanesque church of which only the doorway remains, decorated with the characteristic chrism. Late Gothic in style, built in masonry and reinforced by buttresses, it consists of a single nave separated into two bays, each covered by a star-shaped rib vault. The chancel is illuminated by four pointed openings and is covered with a beautiful vault. It is decorated with gilded wooden fleurons and eight Calatrava crosses. It has a polygonal apse and a choir loft at the foot.
Its architect was Juan de Segura in 1525.

Bernat de Berbedé from Béarn was in charge of finishing the work, which was completed in 1538.

One of the jewels of this church is the main altarpiece, dedicated to the Mysteries of the Rosary, sculpted by the famous Florentine sculptor Juan de Moreto. It is in the Plateresque style but is still organised in the Gothic style, with five aisles, three floors and a predella. It consists of sixteen panels. They depict various scenes from the life of Christ. The altarpiece was finished in 1537, when D. Juan de Lanuza had already died, and it was brought from Zaragoza by mule to Sallent.

The tabernacle dates from the 17th century. In the sacristy, the calajera, a popular inlaid cupboard, made of walnut wood with boxwood inlays, from the 17th century, stands out.
We also find the parish cross, a masterpiece of gold and silver gilt work made by Lorenzo Martón from Sallentino, who lived in Zaragoza, in 1551.

On the right wall there is a 15th century Gothic chapel, the Chapel of the Rosary, where we find the image of the Virgin of the Snows. The capitals of the embouchure arch and the corbels that support the vault represent mythological themes (centaurs, mermaids, birds, angels), with very elaborate details.

On the left wall we find the chapel of the Virgin of Pilar with the image of this virgin, as well as those of Saint Anthony, the Virgin of Fatima and the Virgin of Carmen.
The bell tower is an old reused strong tower, the three-bay Cárcel tower, which belonged to the ancestral home of the Sánchez family. It seems to date from the beginning of the 16th century and still preserves the high door, with an incised shell, and two loopholes on the south side, at the height of the bells. On the first floor there is a latticed window whose lintel depicts some masonry tools and three fleurs-de-lis.

Below the choir there is another beautiful 17th century painting of San Pascual Bailón, donated by the Bernet family.

In this church is kept the flag, which is flown during the patron saint festivities held on the 5th of August in honour of the Virgen de las Nieves (Virgin of the Snows). It bears the coat of arms of the del Cacho family, who gave it as a gift.

The Solemn Mass, the Mass for the Dead, the Advent Mass, the Magnificat, the Ave Maris Stella and the Miserere are works of popular religious music inspired by Gregorian chant. The town of Sallent has the honour of having preserved them through the ages and, naturally, the men who sing these pieces have given them their tone and their personal touches, typical of this town. It should be noted that these chants are only sung by the Men's Choir of the town of Sallent.

MENTIDERO

Located in Francia Street, where the Camino Real (Royal Road) crossed the village, it was a meeting point and a place for conversations and comments among the men. It is a small, original, open construction, facing south, with stone walls and a small roof framing a semicircular arch with a wooden frame. Inside, there is a stone bench.

MONUMENT TO THE JUSTICE SYSTEM

Located in the Plaza del Mentidero.

It is a tribute to the justices of Aragon, the Lanuza and the Quiñónez who come from the valley of Tena.

The following is written on a plaque: "The town of Sallent pays tribute to the General Assembly of the Val de Tena which, presided over by its Justice and made up of jurors from the eleven places in the valley for six centuries, promulgated just rules, governed the destinies of the valley, defended its people and safeguarded its privileges with legal sense, an egalitarian spirit, a liberal attitude and loyalty to the King of Aragon. Anno Domini MMI".

The work is by Miguel Angel Arrudi and is dated 2001.

PEIRÓN DE SAN ANTÓN

Nowadays we can visit it in a park in Francia street.  

It was formerly located at the entrance to Sallent, on the road coming from Lanuza, but it was moved due to the construction of the reservoir.

Mainly the peirons warned of the proximity of the village. In times of snow, when the roads were indistinguishable, they served as guides as they were located on all the roads that converged in the village.

They had a double function as they also had a devotional character.

The San Antón peirón is a monolith built in stone, made up of a tier and a shaft or reed and finished off at the top with a niche with the image of San Antón and a cross on top.

MEDIEVAL BRIDGE

Medieval bridge over the river Aguas Limpias over which the old Camino Real crossed and which gave access to the Paco district. Pilgrims on the Pilgrims' Route to Santiago de Compostela from the French Way and the Hospital de Gabás used to cross it. Its importance is due to its proximity to the Portalet border crossing.

With a slightly pointed arch and a double-slope road, it has a span of about eight metres and approximately four metres of arrow. This bridge was built by the Guipuzcoan piquero Juan de Barrabica around 1567, replacing the old wooden bridge.

SHEPHERDS' HUT

Since the summer of 2018, the reproduction of an original Tensina shepherd's hut can be seen in Sallent. The hut has been saved from ruin and moved to the town centre. Its reconstruction has been carried out maintaining the obligatory technique of "one stone on top of two".

It is located in the old part of the town, on the banks of the river Aguas Limpias next to the bridge, because this is where all the cattle from Sallent to Pondiellos and the Ibonciecho area had to pass through. In addition, in the past, the herds from Sallent that crossed the Forqueta towards Respomuso had to cross this bridge, which was made of planks, to reach the seven sheepfolds of the Piedrafita and Arriel cirque. It was also the crossing point for the Way of St. James and the old route from Arrens to Sallent.

Thus we can see the modest and difficult life of the shepherds in the not too distant times that still lasted until the middle of the 20th century.