Despite uncertainties as to when exactly the construction of San Pedro Cathedral of Jaca (or Jaca Cathedral) began, it is without a doubt that it was contingent upon Jaca's rise in status from a town to a city (1076) and a bishopric (1077); in this light, much of the church's construction took place from the last quarter of the eleventh century to early twelfth century (1). Under the rule of Sancho Ramírez, the eldest son of Ramiro I, the royal family - in particular the female members of the royal family, such as Sancho's sisters, Teresa, Sancha, and Urraca, as Janice Mann discusses in depth - was closely involved in the patronage and construction of the cathedral, and contemporary Aragonese architecture nearby (2). Although the cathedral has undergone numerous renovations from the Renaissance onwards (3), there are still many well-preserved medieval elements, including the carved tympana and capitals at the south and west portals, as well as various interior and displaced capitals.

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Much has been said about the classicising features at Jaca Cathedral. Serafín Moralejo Álvarez first points out the stylistic similarities of a few capitals at Jaca to the second-century (CE) Husillos sarcophagus, one of the chief examples being the "heroic nude" depictions of Isaac - and Abraham, though with more originality there - on a south-portal capital, which bears resemblance to the figure of Orestes on the Roman sarcophagus (4). Rosario Álvarez Martínez observes that an interior aisle capital (second one from right/bottom above) shows winged genii, who are flanking the central figures, playing the tibia (a kind of Roman funerary musical instrument), and, following Moralejo's line of argument, goes on to propose that the sculptor might have referenced Roman sarcophagi, where this musical motif was common (5).

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Such stylistic and iconographic transmissions may speak more broadly about medieval funerary practice - especially the reuse of ancient sarcophagi - and the Jaca sculptors' engagement with such social practice, on top of with artistic motifs from Roman and early Christian sarcophagi. As Doron Bauer discusses, burials of the nobility in reused Roman and early Christian sarcophagi endowed these classical structures with political power (6). By extension, decorative motifs on those ancient sarcophagi acquired political and aesthetic desirability as well, which may be why sculptors at that time were motivated to reinterpret these imagery on church sculptures (7). David L. Simon, likewise, keeps a keen eye out for the social context, and suggests that the sculptural program at Jaca - so prominent for its classicising elements - was in fact a manifestation of King Sancho Ramírez of Aragón's ambition to establish his kingdom's status and to push for Christian reconquest of Muslim-held land, by aligning with the Roman papacy (8). After all, Jaca had been the capital and the see of bishop of Aragón during much of the cathedral's construction period, until the nearby Huesca was reconquered in 1096 (9) - the town would have held much weight in the kingdom of Aragón.

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Explore different parts of the Jaca Cathedral in details below.