The Church of the Assumption
When we talk about mummies, Turkey, Chile, Mexico or Egypt come to mind but, since last June 1, Spain also has its first Mummies Museum, in the Zaragoza town of Quinto.
Cinema and literature have placed mummies in our minds as a distant phenomenon or unknown to most, disturbing or creepy; but, in the end, it is a most moving encounter, and didactic interest and curiosity should overcome the barriers that people sometimes have out of respect or fear.
In the Quinto Mummies Museum they know: “In this museum, scientific and historical interest predominates over morbidity”. A subject that is often taboo, but that is a unique experience: come face to face with death.
The hands of one of the mummies exhibited in the first Mummy Museum in Spain
To find out, we arrived at the Church of the Assumption passing through Corona street or Doña Urraca street, although if we are more concise we will say that we arrived at the ex-church, since It was desecrated in the Civil War. So we found out that yes, we can find other mummies in other places, but these mummies are special because they have been found in the same place where they are exposed, an unprecedented phenomenon.
Plus, it's even more eye-catching than there has been no artificial intervention on the part of man. The mummification has been natural “due to the dry conditions of the terrain and the more or less constant temperature during the year”, explains Jesús Morales, mayor of Quinto, to Traveler.es.
Are the the result of three years of hard conservation and musealization work and three archaeological excavation campaigns. It was in 2011 when 1,061 bodies of different ages were found, while the temple was being restored. They date from the 18th and 19th century and they also preserve clothing, shoes, beads and funerary objects, which are also exhibited.
Thus, Quinto's mummies impact and impress because they are the most natural mummies. The mysterious mummification of only fifteen of them and the incredible preservation of the Franciscan habits turn her into one unique, impressive and interesting experience. They do not leave any visitor indifferent. There have already been more than 1,000 who in less than a month have visited the Church of the Assumption, say from the City Council.
Archaeologists, lovers of eccentricities, curious about the beyond, or simply people who want to discover more about our past history, you have a mandatory appointment in the Zaragoza town of Quinto, in the Ebro valley.
In addition, only the central nave has been excavated, and there are still more chapels that are intended to be explored in the long term, but they believed it necessary to start working with the museum now.
This open every weekend , general admission costs 7 euros, and the reduced 5 euros. Also, you can take a guided tour, during the summer on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 10:00 and 11:30 and, also in the afternoon on Friday and Saturday at 18:00 and 19:30, and in winter at 16:00 and at 5:30 p.m.
The Zaragoza town of Quinto seen from the air
WHY GO?
These are bodies over two centuries old, a trip to the past. "It is an unprecedented experience in Spain," says the mayor. “For those who like it, because he is impressed. But everyone who is coming is delighted and intends to recommend the visit”.
On the other hand, the visit includes a tour of the church, which is declared heritage of humanity by UNESCO in 2001. Located in the highest part of the town and in Mudejar style , was built by the same architect who built the Papa Luna Castle (in Peñíscola), Mahoma Ramí. a fortress church of the fifteenth century that was Completely destroyed during the Civil War.
In the 1960s and 1970s it was used as a grain store, and In 1983 its restoration began, being today a cultural space since 2017, and today the first museum of mummy nationwide. the building is known as 'The Picket' due to its location on Cerro de la Corona and its tower.
Iker Jimenez, who dedicated a program to his discovery and who has also echoed the opening of the museum, congratulates Quinto on his program Cuarto Milenio "for making our history attractive, albeit overwhelming, for creating material heritage with our history."
ADDITIONAL FEATURES
Quinto is a municipality in the Ribera Baja del Ebro, that just 40 kilometers from Saragossa through National Highway 232, it saves much more.
At the foot of the museum there is two car parks , but you can also choose to park in the lower area of the town, next to the Town Hall, and be able to take a walk around the town and do, for example, the recommended Route of the Portals.
“We have prepared a package for groups in which we offer to visit the town through the Ruta de los Portales that runs through the old part of Quinto visiting the three medieval doors that closed the town. Also the house of the priest which is a large Renaissance building in the process of being restored, or the Old Square and the Church of San Juan" , recommends the mayor.
To eat, near the church we find a large recreation area with picnic tables , furthermore we can observe the views of the Ebro valley If we walk up a little more just where the hill ends, where there is a balcony over the Quinto farmhouse.
But we can also go down to town and eat at The Rainbow Restaurant Bar , where we recommend the Baked Quinto lamb and the sirloin with foie, or in the Majorca Restaurant , where to eat fried ear, the cover called “cojonuda” and themed desserts.
These catering services, shops and services offer Museum visitor discounts.
Other nearby places in order to make our experience more complete are The Monastery of Our Lady of Rueda , in Sastago, The Old Town of Belchite, scene of one of the most symbolic battles of the Civil War, or sourceall , with the engraving museum and the House of Goya. And of course, Saragossa.