Straight ahead, you’ll see an impressive octagonal building with pale brick walls, almost like a giant stone lantern rising up from the street. The entrance is heavy, dark, and arched, framed with stone columns that look like they’ve weathered a few centuries. If you look up, you’ll spot fancy brickwork zig-zagging around the top - it’s all decorated in geometric patterns, almost like someone tried to knit with bricks.
Take a deep breath and imagine it’s the 14th century. The streets are full of clattering carts, merchants shouting out their wares, and in the middle of it all, this mysterious, fortress-like church stands with its proud Mudéjar brickwork.
Welcome to Santa María Magdalena! There’s something magical about the way this church combines different worlds: it was first mentioned far, far back in 1126, when it was a simple Romanesque building. But centuries later, folks decided to swap it for something a bit fancier. What you see now is a treasure from the time when brick was the coolest thing in town. Picture medieval builders - probably covered in dust and definitely a bit sweaty - stacking bricks in patterns inspired by palaces and towers, with a bit of a nod to the famous Aljafería Palace just across the way.
The church is shaped like a big cross, and, get this, if you peek around the outside, you’ll notice dozens of arches and decorative crosses, almost like a medieval comic strip running around the walls. And that tall tower? Four levels high and decorated with white and green tiles, it’s a cousin of the striking Mudéjar towers you’d find in Teruel. It’s almost as if the tower wanted to dress up for a festival and borrowed some extra flair.
Actually, the inside is quite different-thanks to some serious redecorating in the 17th and 18th centuries, you’d find a stunning baroque altar, made by José Ramirez de Arellano, and even a golden statue of the Immaculate. It’s like the church got a brand new party outfit, but decided to keep its outer medieval armor.
So take a look at the details and imagine the stories these bricks could tell. If these walls could talk, they’d probably whisper secrets about kings, crusaders, and the timeless competition for “best-looking tower” in Zaragoza. Ready to discover what’s next?
