Zaragoza · Aragón
Calcena
- Province
- Zaragoza
- Status
- Conjunto Histórico
- Population
- 81
- Elevation
- 836.0 m
Calcena is a heritage town in the province of Zaragoza, Aragón, Spain. Population 81 (2013), elevation 836.0m.
A village in the Zaragoza hills where a collegiate church blends Romanesque, Mudéjar, and Renaissance in a single building, and the ruins of an old castle watch over the surrounding countryside.
Key facts
- Province
- Zaragoza
- Heritage status
- Conjunto Histórico
- Population
- 81 (2013)
- Elevation
- 836.0 m
History of Calcena
By the mid-19th century Calcena had a population of 865 people and was an active mining settlement. The silver mines at Valdeplata, within the municipal boundaries, were being worked at that time. The town appears in Pascual Madoz's geographical and statistical dictionary of Spain, one of the principal historical records of the period.
Heritage & Monuments
The collegiate church of Nuestra Señora de los Reyes brings together Romanesque, Plateresque, Renaissance, Baroque, and Churrigueresque elements in one building. Its doorway is Romanesque — one of the rare surviving examples south of the Ebro — and it has a square Mudéjar tower. Inside, a retablo painted by Jerónimo Cósida between 1554 and 1559, depicting the beheading of John the Baptist, is considered one of the most important Renaissance works in Aragón.
Ruins of an old castle stand nearby. The area also has several hermitages — La Virgen (in ruins), San José, San Roque, and San Cristóbal — and prehistoric remains including Bell Beaker pottery fragments found in the Cueva Honda, alongside evidence of Roman-era silver mining.
Traditional food & drink in Aragón
- Ternasco
- — Slow-roasted young Aragonese lamb, one of Spain's protected regional meats.
- Migas
- — Fried breadcrumbs cooked with chorizo, bacon and grapes — shepherd's food turned delicacy.
- Jamón de Teruel
- — Spain's first ham to earn a Denominación de Origen, cured in the cold, dry mountain air.
- Melocotón de Calanda
- — Large, sweet bagged peaches from the Bajo Aragón — a protected autumn speciality.
- Longaniza
- — A long, lightly spiced pork sausage eaten fresh or cured across Aragón.
Watch: Jamón de Teruel
Gallery
Location
Quick answers
Is Calcena worth visiting?▾
A village in the Zaragoza hills where a collegiate church blends Romanesque, Mudéjar, and Renaissance in a single building, and the ruins of an old castle watch over the surrounding countryside.
Why is Calcena a heritage town?▾
Calcena is officially designated a Conjunto Histórico — Spain's national protection for historic town ensembles (Conjuntos Históricos).
What is the traditional food in Aragón?▾
Aragón is known for Ternasco, Migas, Jamón de Teruel and Melocotón de Calanda. You'll find these regional specialities in and around Calcena.
How big is Calcena?▾
Calcena has a population of about 81 (2013), and sits at 836.0 m above sea level.
What is there to see in Calcena?▾
The collegiate church of Nuestra Señora de los Reyes brings together Romanesque, Plateresque, Renaissance, Baroque, and Churrigueresque elements in one building. Its doorway is Romanesque — one of the rare surviving examples south of the Ebro — and it has a square Mudéjar tower.
What is the history of Calcena?▾
By the mid-19th century Calcena had a population of 865 people and was an active mining settlement. The silver mines at Valdeplata, within the municipal boundaries, were being worked at that time.
Nearby heritage towns
A frontier town on the edge of Castilla y León, Ágreda carries layers of Celtiberian, Arab, Jewish and Christian history within walls that still stand, watched over by a monastery whose founder claimed to have crossed continents without leaving her cell.
Birthplace of the controversial Pope Benedict XIII and seat of one of Aragón's great noble dynasties, Illueca rises above the Jalón valley with a castle-palace that spans mudéjar, Renaissance and baroque in a single building.
A city of layered stone and brick in Zaragoza province, where a Gothic-Mudéjar cathedral, a Renaissance bishop's palace and a tightly packed medieval quarter earn it the old nickname of "the Aragonese Toledo."
A small Aragonese town in Zaragoza province, Mesones de Isuela holds a castle and a parish church dedicated to the Assumption within its municipal boundaries.
Last updated 11 July 2026.