We would like to share a text published on the newspaper “Diario del Alto Aragón,” that was published on May 7th, 2008 and describes our small village: Charo.
” Pressed hard to a hillside of San Salvador – which top of 992 meters presides the mountainous country that divides the basins of the Rio of Lanata and of the Usía creek- the small group of stone houses of Charo’s place, to 780 meters of altitude, compose a net medieval, calm and picturesque settlement seated to the Sun of midday, which it constitutes possibly, one of the interesting urban sets of Sobrarbe. It presents a unique street orientated from North to South with country houses of interesting popular architecture between those who emphasize Casa Mora with front page of arch in half a point and shield of the Villacampa in the key; the chapel of San Sebastian, of rectangular plant, straight head-board, vaults of half a cannon and reed-mace on the door integrated to the so called Abbey – with a valuable front page – and in the southern ends, the voluminous Casa Baltasar -That joins his agricultural dependences for a domed passage of approximately thirteen meters of length, with possibility of being closed in both directions – and that possesses a tower loop-holes, projection in the later front, of five plants, both low ones with arches of half a cannon to which one accedes from the Vestibule of the housing and both following ones communicated with the rest of the building, standing out the last one, endowed on a large scale interior. The door of this building called Baltasar’s contains in the key an inverted shield with the bars of Aragon. This historic building represents an extraordinary example together with Casa Mur of Alujan of strengthened houses of this pyrenees area… “
To the side, one finds Casa Nueva, nowadays called O Chardinet d’a Formiga. O Chardinet is a very humble building which dates back to the year 1670, as noted by a graved lintel of stone on a west side window. This house reformed in 2008 preserves its original aspect, with its vaults of half a cannon, arches, windows, walls and small interior court or chardinet. The building has had part of its ancient bedrooms called “alcobas” but nowadays missing, and its use in the last times before the reform was to cover the farm animals, barn and labour.
“… Isolated, under the village, the parochial temple of St Martin rises, according to Mr. Iglesias Costa-, a Romanic building of the 13th century constructed of ashlars work, which consists of only one nave with head-board in semicircle, tunnel vault, four lateral chapels, semi spherical baptismal font, with an octagonal foot, square tower of four vain ones for bells and portico of entry, this one with four austere archivolts.
In major altitude, to the north of Charo, there are situated the neighbours of La Sierra and El Pocino founding in the first Casa Cosculluela with stone pavement on the entrance, door of keystone, lower rooms vault and loophole front, and under the same a non straight vault reduced passage of unequal width and the rests of Sta Barbara chapel (actually part of the entrance of Casa Sta. Barbara) constructed at the end of the 16th century. In the top of the mountain of its name, there gets up the chapel of San Salvador, of popular architecture and in its surroundings there have been situated remains of walls of great thickness, probably remains of a former fortification there existing.
To few distance: Tierrantona, the capital of La Fueva and other several little villages with names that sound to legendary ancient statements as Alueza, Sosiat, La Plana, El Humo, Alujan, Fumanal, Solipueyo, Pamporciello … that almost all of them show strong defensive towers, in the shade of what it was a powerful fortress of Muro de Roda.
Charo’s own name treats itself about a pre-Indo-European place name, that in the 11th century it was known as Iaro, then in 15th century until middle of the XVIIth like Jaro or Xaro and from 1834 as Charo, which continues being his current name.
Since the King Sancho Ramirez granted it, in the 11th century, in property to San Victorián’s monastery, this place it has remained, even later after the extinction of the monastery in 1872. The census of 1495 was appearing with fourteen fires exercising the positions of Baile and Juror the neighbours Galcerán de Fumanal and Joan of Pocino, being the rest of the surnames Fontova, Buyl, Lueça, Lanau, Peralta, Cosculluela, Lo Puço and La Cambra “