Navarra is a ideal destination for lovers of Romanesque. The buildings in many of its towns belong to the Middle Ages and show off the architecture of the time, giving the Foral Community a special charm.
This beginning of the year can be a good time to tour Navarra and admire some of its many Romanesque buildings. This wealth, however, makes the choice complicated. All these jewels from the Middle Ages are well worth a visit, but below we suggest 10 located throughout the entire Navarra geography.
The Romanesque is considered the first great European style. Through its robust buildings full of spirituality we can travel with our imagination to the 11th, 12th and 13th centuries of our era. It is a moment in which the Christianity It emerges strongly, also giving rise to a constructive effort that marks the territory of cathedrals, churches, monasteries and hermitages. How does it move between countries until it becomes a unified movement throughout Europe?
There are two fundamental reasons: the expansion of religious orders (in Navarra the Cistercian order is especially relevant) and the boost provided by the Camino de Santiago.
In Navarra, for example, the first cistercian monasteries in Spain: Fitero as a masculine monastery and Tulebras as a feminine one.
For its part, the Jacobean route became a highway that, jumping the natural barrier of the Pyrenees, connected Navarra with the ideas that were bubbling beyond its borders. Through these ancient paths, not only the feeling of an era in which Christianity reinforced its vision of the world, but also the artistic currents that were in vogue in other cities and countries reached the kingdom. And that legacy has left us authentic heritage jewels.
These are the ten fundamental buildings with which you can travel from north to south through the territory following the traces of the Romanesque in Navarra
These are the ten fundamental buildings with which you can travel from north to south through the territory following the traces of the Romanesque in Navarra
- 1. Our Lady of Muskilda (Ochagavía). This small hermitage of Romanesque origin is very simple in construction, but its location at more than a thousand meters above sea level makes it an unforgettable place. It is a magnificent viewpoint of the Irati Forest and is located just 4 kilometers from one of the most beautiful towns in Navarra: Ochagavía. Another of its charms is the mix of its medieval architecture with that of the Pyrenean area, highlighting its peculiar rounded tower and its stone slab roof.
- 2. Sanctuary of Saint Michael in Excelsis (Uharte Arakil). We flew over the Navarrese geography again to look for another Romanesque building perched on a peak. In this case, the Sanctuary of San Miguel de Aralar, which crowns the mountain range of the same name. In addition to the incredible views of the Sakana, it houses a unique treasure inside: the enamel altarpiece. It is one of the most beautiful and exceptional sets of medieval European enamel work. This spiritual center is closely linked to the history of Navarra. If, in addition to art, you are a lover of legends, visiting this sanctuary is a sure success.
- 3. Hermitage of Santa María (Maple). It is a beautiful example of rural Romanesque architecture. It also has the charm of being in a natural environment of great beauty, next to the tail of the Itoiz reservoir and surrounded by fields. Enjoy its façade, the decorated capitals and the corbels, in which scenes of popular taste typical of this type of small hermitages are reproduced.
FOUNTAIN: NAVARRA DIARY
