Navarre

Then we will see over the French Way in Navarre.



VALCARLOS is the first Spanish town. There are in this town an inscription indicating Basque are waking dead stones of the road to Santiago. Here encamped when his nephew Roland Charlemagne was defeated in Ibañeta.
The place is known as Forest spears flowering because, according to tradition, the 50,000 maidens Empire nailed their spears into the ground as a tribute to the dead heroes, and when the spears flourished.
There's high of Ibañeta the Monastery of San Salvador from which was oriented with the pilgrim lost his bell and offered him shelter. It is believed that this is where Charlemagne begged the Lord for help.
A granite stele invited to pray a Hail to Our Lady of Roncesvalles. And a small monument reminds the hero Roland Chançon.
At the foot of Mount Royal Collegiate lies the Fort built by Sancho whose burial is saved in the chapter house.

LEYRE has a famous ancient Benedictine monastery, the true cradle of Navarre.
The Monastery of San Salvador de Leyre (named after the crucified Christ that houses), has Romanesque crypt and apse. Was pantheon of the kings of Navarre, and Episcopal Court to be refuge of kings and bishops in the Reconquista, which was driven from here.
Nearby, is the source of St. Virila, reminiscent of the monk who was abbot of Leyre the year 928, and who cared about how it would spend as much time in eternal life. As the legend goes, it was absorbed Virila listening to birdsong in the nearby forest. When he awoke, 300 years later, thinking he had left the monastery that morning, was surprised not to see the monks and their habits, as the Cistercian Benedictines had changed, and the black dress had turned white. Virila had spent 300 years as the Psalm says: A thousand years in Thy glory, Lord, are like yesterday that it happened.

From the pass of RONCESVALLES there are 800 kilometers - a million steps - to Santiago de Compostela.
As stated in the Liber Sancti Jacobi, Charlemagne saw in the sky a star path that went between Germany and Italy between France and Aquitaine through Gascony and Navarre, Spain ... and would die in Galicia, in the where Santiago's body lay hidden.
The apostle James appeared to the Emperor and told her to go there with great power and release land and then way for people of all lands of the Christians were on a pilgrimage, and had God's forgiveness for their sins.
Here the Basques fought the hitherto undefeated Charlemagne and Roland died in battle and the twelve peers of France, the flower of French chivalry. The Song of Roland in this battle became one of the most important feats in the history of Europe.
Here was a large hospital in the twelfth century to 30,000 attending pilgrims each year, receiving the necessary to continue the pilgrimage.
The Monastery of Our Lady of Roncesvalles was famous in the twelfth century, and he said:
The door opens to all sick and healthy, non solo Catholics, especially to outsiders, Jews, heretics, idle and vain.
The oldest building is the chapel of Roncesvalles Sancti spirits or Silo of Charlemagne (XII century). The chapel of Santiago is the S.XIII.
While the two ports were used since Roman times, Roncesvalles was preferred by pilgrims Somport, because it is a shorter route.

SANGÜESA identifies with Rocaforte the town of Roman origin. It was the former headquarters of Cortes de Navarra repeatedly.
Retains the Royal Palace of the time that was cut from the kings of Navarre. It dwelt the prince of Viana.
His Church of Santa Maria, with the magnificent Romanesque portal has three naves s.XII unequal in size with semicircular apses. It venerates Our Lady of Rocamadour.
His Church of Santiago, is Romanesque to Gothic transition (XII-XIII).

PAMPLONA, along the Arga. Its foundation is attributed to Pompey the Great in the winter of 74 BC, setting up camp next to the main town of the Basques.
He had numerous hospital foundations, and the General Jurisdiction of Pamplona watched over the property and persons of the pilgrims. Such was the strength of the pilgrimage, the foreign population widely surpassed the City.
The pilgrims came through the Portal of France, which still keeps the chains that once raised their doors, and was treated at the Hospital of San Miguel, attached to the Cathedral.
The cathedral, Gothic, in the upper part of the city, has a chapel of Santiago and one of the Pilgrims.
The cloister is considered one of the most beautiful in Europe. It is believed that under the courtyard of the Cathedral are the walls of the primitive Iruña. Inside, sarcophagus of Doña Sancha.
From the late sixteenth floor is pentagonal citadel, built in the time of Philip II in imitation of Antwerp.
Notable is the church of S. Cermín or San Saturnino. The façade shows a picture of Santiago.
We went through the Lumbier Gorge area of ​​natural beauty.

EUNATE in Basque means hundred doors.
Octagonal Romanesque church and cloister that surrounds around its perimeter. Seems likely to be a funerary temple Romanesque Templar, in imitation of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, which were buried pilgrims to Santiago.

We arrived at the junction of two roads: PUENTE LA REINA.

From here one French Way to Compostela.

PUENTE LA REINA joined the two roads from France. It is a city created by the kings of Navarre for the installation of pilgrims and foreign settlers, especially francs, for which there were special privileges.
Your bridge over the river Arga is one of the most beautiful of Roman Spain. Its construction is attributed to Mrs. Mayor, wife of Sancho III of Navarre, in the eleventh century and hence the name.
The pilgrim should visit the church of Santiago in which there is the image of Santiago de Beltza (black, in Basque), named for the color darker than the image acquired by the smoke from the candles. The main street is a great monument.
Puente la Reina responded to the desire of the king of Navarre to improve roads and bridges in his kingdom.
At the junction of routes from Somport and Roncesvalles, a Monument to pilgrims remember the millions of people over the centuries have passed this place.

OBANOS is the village of Infanzones as it coalesced Navarre nobles to mark the real power.
In its medieval square is represented annually Obanos famous Mystery: the tragedy of the brothers San Guillén and Santa Felicia, sons of the Duke of Aquitaine, peregrinosa Compostela.
Felicia Startled by the announcement of his marriage, he escaped and went to a house where she worked as a maid Arnotegui. His brother Guillén, searched, and when trying to take her with him would not go saying it already had own. The brother asked where he was and she said her chest. There furiously thrust his dagger brother.
Guillén fled, before heading to Rome where he confessed his sin and penance imposed travel to Compostela. At Mount Arnotegui then as penitent remained until his death to atone for his guilt.

ESTELLA Lizarra former is known as La Bella, from the XVth century Toledo was known as the North by its rich heritage.
It is the main point of the Camino de Santiago. Was repopulated with Sancho V francs in 1090. To create this village, the king had to convince the monks of San Juan de la Peña, promising ten percent of the benefits of the new population. Here was born the Friends of the Camino de Santiago.
His palace of the Kings of Navarre, the twelfth century, is the only specimen of Romanesque civil of this land.
Notable are the church of the holy sepulcher with the 12 apostles in the facade, and the Chapel of Rocamador, the twelfth century, with virgin XIII.
The church of S. Pedro de la Rua, has a magnificent cloister (XII century)
In Estella, even in the fourteenth century ordinances were drafted in Provencal language and this language is commonly spoken.
IRACHE Monastery is one of the oldest of Navarra, perhaps the Visigoths. The temple is the twelfth century, with Romanesque apses and naves pointed. University was in the sixteenth century.

VIANA is the latest population of Navarre, and was - by its location at the top-sentinel against invasions coming from Castile.
Founded in 1219 by King Sancho VII the Strong, once had four hospitals. Is City since 1630 under Philip IV. In 1423, Carlos III endowed with the Principality of Viana, the heir to the Kingdom.
The church of Santa Maria (1250-1329), is Gothic.
A plaque recalls that there lie the remains of Caesar Borgia.