Manchones is a municipality in the province of Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain. According to the Spanish Statistical Institute (INE), the municipality had a population of 123 inhabitants in 2010. The pueblo is in the comarca of

Campo de Daroca Campo de Daroca is one of the comarcas of Aragon, in the Province of Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain. It is located in the mountainous Iberian System area. Municipalities The ''comarca'' includes the municipalities of Acered, Aldehuela de Liestos, ...

, about northwest of Daroca and just southeast of

Murero Murero is a municipality in Zaragoza province Zaragoza (), also called Saragossa in English,''Encyclopædia Britannica''Zaragoza (conventional Saragossa)/ref> is a province of northern Spain, in the central part of the autonomous community of Ar ...

in the Calatayud-Daroca depression. The

Jiloca River The Jiloca () is a river in Aragón, Spain, a tributary of the river Jalón, and part of the watershed of the Ebro basin. The course of the river runs through the provinces of Teruel and Zaragoza. It has a length of and an average flow rate of ...

passes to the west. The parish church is dedicated to the Conversion of St Paul. There are some remnants of defensive walls from the time of the Reconquista, when

Alfonso the Battler Alfonso I (''c''. 1073/10747 September 1134), called the Battler or the Warrior ( es, el Batallador), was King of Aragon and Navarre from 1104 until his death in 1134. He was the second son of King Sancho Ramírez and successor of his brother Pet ...

, king of Aragon, forced a route through towards Valencia from Zaragoza.

Situation

Manchones is a small settlement situated at the base of a hill in the valley of the river Jiloca, between Calatayud and Daroca. The pueblo lies on an ancient route between the Meseta Central, the Ebro and the coast of the Levante, which was certainly established in Roman times.

History

Prehistoric remains have been found in the area and there is some evidence of Celtiberian settlement in Manchones. It has been suggested that the name of the pueblo derives from ''mancusos'', gold coins in circulation in Aragon during the 11th century. Diego López de Lobera, who served under

during the Reconquista, was given the castle of Manchones in 1152. In 1248, by grant from

Jaime I of Aragon James I the Conqueror ( es, Jaime el Conquistador, ca, Jaume el Conqueridor; 2 February 1208 – 27 July 1276) was King of Aragon and Lord of Montpellier from 1213 to 1276; King of Majorca from 1231 to 1276; and Valencia from 1238 to 1276 ...

, Manchones was freed from its dependence on Daroca, becoming part of the Community of Daroca Villages, which was dissolved in 1838.

Fiestas

The festivities in honour of St. Vincent and St. Paul are held in the last weekend of January, coinciding with the feast of St. Valero in Zaragoza, while those in honour of San Roque usually last five days, ending with the feast of the saint on 16 August. On August 15 they celebrate with a pilgrimage and a feast in the town square.

Buildings

The parish church of the Conversion of St Paul was built in the eighteenth century on the site of a medieval church and was restored in 2004–2005. Its chapel is dedicated to the Virgen del Pilar which contains a late 17th-century baroque

reredos A reredos ( , , ) is a large altarpiece, a screen, or decoration placed behind the altar in a church. It often includes religious images. The term ''reredos'' may also be used for similar structures, if elaborate, in secular architecture, for ex ...

. A 15th century wooden crucifix is housed in the sacristy. Surviving remains of defensive walls and towers indicate that Manchones was part of the defensive system for Daroca.

Famous residents

Jesús Ángel Bernal Julián Jesus ( AD 30 or 33) was a Jewish preacher and religious leader who most Christians believe to be the incarnation of God and Muslims believe was a prophet. Jesus may also refer to: People Religious figures * Elymas Bar-Jesus, a Jew in the ''Act ...

– actor and founder of Teatro de la Estación in Zaragoza. *

Antonio Palacios Rodrigo Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language-speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top 400 most popular male ...

– (1932–1958) bullfighter. *

José Luis Roca Millán José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced differently in each language: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , is an old vernacul ...

– (born 1934) past president of the Spanish Football Federation.

References

{{authority control Municipalities in the Province of Zaragoza