page_title: Monzón
section_title: Christian Era
hierarchical_section_title: Monzón / Historical overview / Middle Ages / Christian Era
caption_attribution_description: English: Cathedral of Monzon (Aragon, Spain) Español: Monzón - Catedral - Vista general
context_page_description: Monzón is a small city and municipality in the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. Its population was 17,176 as of 2014. It is in the northeast and adjoins the rivers Cinca and Sosa.
context_section_description: The Cathedral de Santa María del Romeral (Saint Mary of the Rosemary Field), grew from the 9th century Torre del Homenaje which hosted kings and nobles. Here in 1109 Urraca of Castile married her second husband Alfonso I ("The Battler") despite the Church's objections concerning consanguinity.
  During medieval times Monzón was a stronghold of the Knights Templar because of its strategic location between the Segre and Cinca valleys. It was also as an important center for joint legislative sessions for the various segments of Aragon, especially between the 13th and 17th centuries because of its location between Zaragoza and Barcelona. The Teutonic Knights were also known to have had a commandery here since 1222. 
  During the 12th century Monzón was ruled by the infant Ramiro de Navarra, Tizón and García Ramírez before his proclamation as King of Navarre among others. When in 1143 the Knights Templar assigns its rights to the Crown of Aragon receives in exchange the Castle of Monzón among others, where the main task of the Crown of Aragon happened. The most historically important event in this period is the enforced residence of James I ("The Conqueror") who spent part of his youth in Monzón. After his father Peter II ("The Catholic") died in the Battle of Muret (1213); the Knights Templar in Monzon served as the young king's guardians and tutors. When the Pope Clement V extinguishes the Knights Templar, some parcels like Monzón resisted, and it was not until 1309 when it was conquered. In 1317 passes to sanjuanistas hands, although the hosts will lose its power gradually. Monzón also hosted numerous times the Cortes of the Crown of Aragon, between the 13th to 17th centuries. The Cathedral of Santa María del Romeral of Romanesque and the castle with its origins in the 9th century (Torre del Homenaje) welcomed the king and his nobles.
caption: The Cathedral of Santa María del Romeral.
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