Luna: Beauty and Frustration

Brazilian writer Paulo Coelho, whose books, starting with "The Alchemist" and "The Pilgrim of Compostela," began to enjoy extraordinary popularity, reaching the level of true global phenomena and therefore bestsellers, once said that we arrive at places when we are truly expected.

It's a figure of speech, of course, and this traveler knows it well, because the places we intend to visit, and indeed, as in his case, to explore, are not always accessible. This detail, on the other hand, does not detract one iota from the excitement of the trip, but, on the contrary, adds the promise, if not the desire, to return at another time when the winds are more favorable.

Luna is another beautiful town in Zaragoza's Cinco Villas, located just under twenty kilometers from Ejea de los Caballeros, the judicial district on which it depends and, one might say, is a near-obligation to pass through, heading toward another splendid town named El Frago, which we will visit later.

Of its location on the Aragonese Way of St. James, pilgrims are well aware of its two imposing Romanesque churches: that of Santiago, located within the municipality, with its fantastic crypt, where worship is rendered to the Virgin of Dawn, a beautiful Gothic Virgin who belonged to a nearby uninhabited village, whose houses are barely left overgrown by weeds; and another fantastic 12th-century church, located outside the town walls, that of Saint Giles, which, although without historical documentation to support it, many sources tend to see in its magnificent structure the imprint not only of the great master stonemasons, who, like Agüero, worked with great intensity in this area, but also of some knights, the Templars, who, as the statutes of Master Roncellin stated, were leaving marks on the buildings they erected.

Although this temple of Saint Giles has been deconsecrated, this is not the first time this traveler has been there, searching, above all, in the formidable sculptures inside, for traces of that presence, which, in some way, is established, above all, by popular tradition. Although the last time his wishes were frustrated by the renovation work being carried out, he did not give up his time, because, despite everything, contemplating its magnificent design is always a good way to continue the adventure, following in the footsteps of military orders and brotherhoods of stonemasons who erected marvels in their path and who put the researcher on the right path to discover places that are truly worthwhile.

Strange, in a certain sense, for lacking the typical bell tower and having an apse or chevet, whose buttresses give it a genuine hexagonal shape, the Church of Saint Giles also offers the sensation of extraordinary strength, which makes it, like many temples of its time, a fortress-church, compact and solid to withstand attacks. This, in fact, could also be considered a characteristic of many of the temples that lined the roads and towns, whether or not they were within the boundaries of the various routes to Compostela.

The sculptures, on the other hand, barely differ from the Romanesque archetypes of the period and include, skillfully concealed, the presence of a fantastic bestiary, among which stands out, also forming a magnificent symbol of infinity, an Ouroboros, or serpent biting its tail, a symbol that everything is cyclical, that there is no beginning or end, but a continuation.

Continuation, like the journey, which, whether its intentions are frustrated or not, continues, as life, adventure, and experience continue, because, believe it or not, the setbacks along the way also greatly contribute to continued growth.

NOTICE: Both the text and the accompanying photographs are my exclusive intellectual property and are therefore subject to my copyright.