The New Student's Reference Work/Saragossa

Saragossa (sā′rȧ-gŏs′ȧ) or Zaragoza, a city of Spain, formerly capital of the kingdom of Aragon, stands on the Ebro, 212 miles northeast of Madrid. A seven-arched bridge, built in 1437, crosses the Ebro within the city. The low, brick houses and narrow, winding streets contrast strangely with the many tall and slender towers and spires. There are two cathedrals, one a Gothic building of the 13th century. The citadel of Aljaferia once was the palace of the kings of Aragon and later the headquarters of the Inquisition. The university, founded in 1474, has 47 professors, 800 students and a library of 18,000 volumes. The leaning tower, Torre Nueva, built in 1504, has been declared unsafe and ordered taken down. Cloth, silk and leather are among the town's manufactures. The name is a corruption of Cæsarea Augusta, which it was called in 25 B. C. It was an important Roman town, and was one of the first Spanish cities to accept Christianity. Saragossa was taken by the Goths in the 5th and by the Moors in the 8th century, and recaptured in 1118 by Alphonso of Aragon, after a five years' siege, during which most of the people died of famine. It was twice besieged by the French in 1808, 60,000 people perishing in its defense. It was at this siege that the famous Maid of Saragossa, whose exploit has been sung by Byron and Southey, fought by the side of her artilleryman lover. Population 105,788; of the province 448,198.