The chapel of Nuestra Señora de Trevino in Adahuesca (13th century) is all that remains of an old monastery, which once had an elegant cloister. There are very few historical references to the original building, but with a bit of imagination it is possible to recreate an image of the square cloister, once planted with laurel and now with cypress. Slender columns supported an arcade with semi-circular arches and a well stood at the centre; its water often saved the village in times of drought. Constructed in the 14th century, it was demolished in 1965 due to the threat of complete ruin.

It is thought that the name Treviño may be derived from the Spanish word viña meaning vine as the chapel is, and has always been, surrounded by vineyards, although there is another theory. Legend tells that Treviño was on the boundaries of three distinct dioceses and that the three church dignitaries could hold meetings around a table without leaving the limits of their own parish. History or legend, it is true that the word Treviño appears to come from the Latin word trifinium meaning three frontiers, boundaries, regions or people. 
The church’s east end is polygonal in appearance from the outside with a semi-circular internal appearance and the nave is covered with a pointed barrel vault. The cornice that runs through both the apse and the nave is supported by a corbels roughly decorated with geometric motifs, scrolls and human faces.
The smaller doorway on the main facade opens up into a semi-circular arch. This is framed by a moulding with diamond points and the tympanum boasts a Christogram with a symbol of the Holy Trinity. Above this there is a window with the same diamond-point decoration. 

The main doorway is on the north wall and presents five archivolts and various capitals. The facia is decorated with geometric motifs, a decoration of scrolls on the intrados of the arch and the remains of chequered moulding. Previously, there had been a Gothic porch and both parts of the building had a polychrome finish. The Romanesque masons were limited in terms of the carving of ashlars for the walls and the voussoirs of the arches. Only the most skilful were able to achieve highly decorated pieces, mostly featuring vegetal or geometric repertoires such as those on the archivolts and the capitals of the doorway. The corbels that support the cornice also give examples of their work with roughly carved, anonymous human faces that are likely to have church provosts, stone masons, nobles or plebeians.  

The principal teachings of architecture of the Romanesque era were those of solidity, durability and huge proportions. To apply these principles it was necessary to master the stone vault, which, with its concave shape, also made symbolic reference to the celestial vault of heaven. However, the thickness of the supporting walls impeded the opening of large windows and the lack of light generates a special atmosphere that is palpable upon entering a Romanesque temple. 

The interior walls were usually chiselled or chipped in order to obtain a flat surface of the right texture for murals. In the Romanesque era the walls were seldom left unpainted and it was considerably cheaper to display a pictorial programme than to order carved pieces.
In the apse, it is still possible to see the remains of paintings that represent Jesus being resuscitated, with the appearance of Mary Magdalene; they are both informative and expressive. The painting is outlined with thick black lines that frame the flatness or brightness of the different colours, mainly red, blue and white.
Both inside and outside the temple, the pure and intense colours shown on the capitals, the shafts and the archivolts are testament to the stonemason’s work. 

On Good Friday, the inhabitants of Adahuesca dress as Romans and go to Treviño as they have over many years and after the mass they share out biscuits and wine. According to tradition, the Virgin Mary performed a multitude of miracles to those who attended the church. Wax and silver votive offerings made in the shape of eyes, legs, hands and feet are attached to the chapel’s wrought iron grille and make reference to the many miraculous recoveries. In the18th century it was still possible to see the shirt and shoes of a woman hanging on the grille; it is said that was hit by a bolt of lightening while praying yet left the church unharmed. 

The legend of Nunilo and Alodia, the saints of Adahuesca, is closely linked to the parish as it proclaims that it was the site of their home. It is said to have stood in the spot now occupied by the pretty Baroque chapel dedicated to the same saints. The well housed inside the church, whose waters are famous for performing miracles, is rumoured to be the same source that once served the saints.

Legend says that Nunilo and Alodia were born in the 9th century of a Muslim father and a Christian mother. Although the law demanded that they followed the Muslim faith, their education was Christian. Following the death of their parents, they remained in the care of their father’s brother, who tried to persuade them to embrace the Muslim religion. Seeing that the brothers firmly maintained their faith, he denounced them to the governor of Alquézar who imprisoned them. They were later reported to the Muslim governor of Huesca and finally, on the 22 October 851, they were decapitated. 

Their bodies were abandoned for vermin to devour, but a miraculous light prevented any animal from touching them. Their bodies were dropped into a well and the waters soon began to be known for their curative powers.
The worship of the saint’s relics, whether based on fact or fiction, represented one of the strongest beliefs of the medieval era. The divine favour that the saints enjoyed in life, ensured that their remains held a miraculous power for the faithful, and because of this there was a fervent passion to own them. 

The survival of many churches and abbeys of that era depended on their power to attract donations and alms, so it was crucial to have relics of greater importance than their neighbours.
This explains why, a few years after the brothers’ death, the queen of Navarra sent one of her priests to the region to claim the relics for the monastery in Leire. He succeeded and returned with the remains of Saints Nunilo and Alodia, since which time the relics have been worshipped within a magnificent ivory reliquary.

Crucelós is no more than a mound of stones located at the crossroads of footpaths on the boundaries of Adahuesca, Abiego and Alberuela de Laliena, or maybe it is….
In the times of epidemics that devastated these lands, plague victims were driven out of the villages and the outlying boundaries of the villages became their refuge. In these areas, improvised cemeteries sprang up to bury the victims. 

However, the dead often turned into tormented spirits who wandered around claiming the souls of those who travelled on the boundary paths. Because of this, people would throw a stone at the mound instead of giving up their soul. 
As well as satisfying the dead, this offering had the power to tie the spirits of the deceased to the ground. The dead shared the ground with seeds, and so this ritual also reinforced the fertility of the fields and guaranteed copious harvests. The tradition was related to ancestral beliefs and pagan rites that were later incorporated into the church, by the simple act of attaching a cross to the mound. 

History says that after years of dispute, the Sevil Mountains passed into Adahuesca’s power in 1476, which provoked many confrontations between the two locations.
However, legend tells another tale. Many years ago, the plague isolated the small hamlet of Sevil and the only survivors were two grandmothers; the last remaining heirs of the Sevil mountain range. They travelled from village to village looking for a new place to live but all doors were closed to them in fear that they carried the terrible disease. Finally, they were taken in in Adahuesca where they lived out the rest of their lives. To show their appreciation for the hospitality they had received, they left the village something they held in the highest regard; the Sevil Mountains. And so legend explains that this is the reason the mountain range belongs to Adahuesca and not to the nearer village of Alquézar. 

Every 29th May, after sunset, the villagers make a small pilgrimage to the Crucelós spot, with a large red banner leading the march.
Grouped in front of the stony mound, the villagers say a funereal prayer for the soul of the grandmothers and throw a stone to the foot of the cross. To end the ritual, the priest blesses small cakes, which are eaten along with a glass of wine. The festive day concludes with villagers showing a sign of respect to the banner. 
After the fiesta the villagers can return to their houses in peace, knowing that the harvest is assured. 

On the 26th July, St Ana’s day, the children of Adahuesca go to the church square with their families to celebrate the “running of the pears.” Paired with children of the same age on one side of the square the impatiently wait for the signal to run across to the other side where baskets full of blessed pears are waiting. They take part in races while the fruit lasts.

Tradition is preserved once again with the participation of new generations in the running of the pears. Life and death go hand in hand with the legend of the grandmothers; infancy and maturity are brought together in the ritual of the pears. Legend and fiesta coexisting in Adahuesca.

An esconjuradero is a simple stone structure typical in Aragon and normally located in an area close to a church. In the past, the church’s bell tower would sometimes be used for the purpose, as was the case in Castejón del Puente, Colungo and Ponzano.
In Adahuesca it is integrated into the church building above the vestry. One façade faces west, from where summer storms ricochet off the mountains, often carrying hailstones.
The purpose of these magical spaces was to fight off our “conjure away” storms and hail and so save the villager’s crops. This was done through a series of rituals including prayers to St Barbara and St Bartholomew, the use of holy water, images and crosses and the peal of bells.

Legend says that witches would hide behind dark clouds, and everyone knew the power they possessed to turn into wind and hail. Because of this, as soon as a storm began, the villager who had the forniello (a wooden cross) had to advise the parish priest before going immediately to the esconjuradero in order to commence the rituals that fought off the storm clouds.
At the same time, the locals would place knives and scissors pointing to the sky at their windows, light candles and place the holy relics of Saints Nunilo and Alodia in the square; all in an attempt to guard off the storm. 

It wasn’t always successful of course as powerful witches lived in the area, such as the infamous Juana Bardaxí. It is said that she brewed up a thousand and one spells in the covens held on the Asba mountain.