Sangüesa, a construction interrupted for four centuries

Sangüesa, as the head of its merindad, had several municipal seats throughout the Middle Ages and Modernity. One of these, used by the council from the 13th to the 16th century, was the parish church of Santa María, administered by a lay board of trustees of twelve members, including the mayor. At the same time, the refectory of the convent of San Francisco, founded by Teobaldo II in 1266, located next to the portal of Jaca, at the end of the Rúa Mayor, was used. This is where the election of the mayor and his twelve jurors took place between the 14th and 16th centuries. Later, another seat was the castle-palace of the Prince of Viana, probably acquired by the municipality of Sangüesa from the Royal Administration in 1535 for 1,000 ducats, when Don Diego Hurtado de Mendoza, Marquis of Cañete, was Viceroy.

In 1569 it was decided to build a new town hall in a well located spot, the Rúa Mayor, the main axis of the town. It corresponded to the south façade of the castle-palace, which linked through a porticoed gallery with two towers and a palace to the north. The six pillars supporting the arcades were entrusted to Domingo de Aya, a resident of Aibar, who was also in charge of building the base of the second floor, where the work was interrupted, probably due to lack of funds. In parallel to the construction, the southern site of the castle was destined for the Building of eleven houses that would be flanking the place in a comprehensive urban development project , which gradually included other municipal services. Part of them (butcher's shop, fishmonger's and real weight) would be reserved for the house, while provisionally the municipal offices and rooms were established in the castle-palace. Between the two buildings, in the open air, the fruit and vegetable market, the mint and even a space for playing ball were established.

Thirty years later, in April 1602, a survey of the house was commissioned, which concluded that it was necessary to stabilize the building, in which 2,800 ducats had been invested, and that the work, which threatened ruin, should be completed. storeroom Building As the building was temporarily used as a wheat storehouse, they also proposed the construction of an annex to serve as conference room for enquiry and a storehouse. They estimated the cost of the completion of the work at 912 ducats, which already had since 1570 the coat of arms of the town carved by Miguel de Casanova y Aiba, and polychromed by Antonio de Arara. The project was carried out in the established terms, although most of the municipal services and rooms remained until the arrival of the twentieth century in the premises of the old castle.

Since the first decades of that century there was a widespread desire to move the municipal seat to the Casa de las Arcadas, which was in need of a good renovation. However, even in its imperfect state it was picturesque enough to be reproduced in the Pueblo Español in Barcelona for the Universal exhibition of 1929.

After several projects, some of them of entity as the one of Víctor Eusa, the opportunity came in 1949, when the Diputación assigned a subsidy, in exchange for the remains of the castle, of 250 000 pesetas for its restoration and habilitation as town hall. This went to position of José Yarnoz Larrosa, who delivered the conditions of the project that same year, contemplating, in addition to an extension of its surface, an integral restoration of the original facade and the realization of another one in the back, facing the place. All this was to be carried out following a respectful and historicist criterion that would be in harmony with the architecture of the area. The work was budgeted at 320,000 pesetas, although it was finally awarded with a substantial reduction of around 275,000 pesetas to Construcciones Huesa Hermanos, and construction was completed in 1952.

Substantially, the town hall conserves the structure conceived by Yárnoz, consisting of a very elongated regular floor plan articulated in two sections. The lower one is formed by a triple gallery of large stone arcades that opens to the north towards the old parade ground of the castle, and to the south towards the Main Street. The segmental arches have molded threads and rest on their corresponding columns of smooth shaft with Doric-Tuscan bases and capitals.

In the center of the four arches of the main façade, also carved in stone, are the arms of the town: the castle and the bars, in an oval with ornaments of twisted leather and framed by fluted columns. At its feet is inscribed the year 1570, date of its construction. Smooth pilasters at the ends separate the building from its adjoining houses, while a raised stone impost marks the beginning of the upper floor, completely flush, which must have been originally made of brick, but later received some sgraffito work with fleurons and vegetal motifs.

In this second body, above the cornice, there are four large rectangular openings symmetrically placed in relation to a central axis. The central openings have a common projecting balcony with elaborate wrought iron railings and balusters. The balconies at the ends, also of iron, are aligned with the facade. The gable is topped by a sturdy wooden eave with beautiful carved wooden corbels.

The south façade, which previously had little relevance, disappeared with the aforementioned renovation. The current façade, which sits on three arches that imitate the old ones, is built in brick. On the second floor there is a central balcony, with quality ironwork, and above it, the coat of arms of the city, which comes from the old portal of Jaca. On both sides there are two rectangular windows. On the upper floor there is a semicircular brick arcade, in keeping with other contemporary buildings in the town.