La Ciudadela de Jaca

You can see a detail of the Jaca Citadel or Castle of San Pedro (StPeter). It is one of the most exceptional and valuable monuments inthe Jacetania area. It was built as part of a defence strategy appliedby Phillip II after the invasion of the Tena Valley by an army fromthe south of France in January of 1592, as well as to control anypotential internal conflicts.

In 1613, under Phillip III, the main entrance was completed. However,the digging of the moat took longer as did other related projectswhich were still being finished in the 17th.

The Citadel was only used defensively during the War of Independence(1808) although paradoxically, it was the French troops that holedthemselves up there after conquering the fortress. They were to occupyit for four years.