We ate breakfast at Boutique del Pan San Juan in Plaza de los Fueros: 2 tostadas con tomate y aciete; MT coffee/Don orange juice (5€). (Their pilgrim breakfast was 8€ [each], but the owner came outside and made us a better deal; but the lady at the register said 6.50€; which we thought was OK.) Afterward, we got sellos there, and the owner gave us business card and wrote on back: “Luisa-Luis … Gracias”.
We departed town at 8:45 am, stopping briefly at Iglesia San Pedro (closed) on the way out.
Iglesia San Pedro de la Rua, a fortress-church whose construction began in the last quarter of the 12th century with late Romanesque and early Gothic influences, was part of the city defense. The façade was not built until the 13th century. All Kings of Navarra had to take a solemn oath here to protect their subjects before they could be crowned. This church is in an area of the city originally founded as a separate burough to settle the French pilgrims who decided to stay and live here after their pilgrimage to Santiago.
8:54 AM – Estella: San Pedro church and steps up to it.
8:57 AM – Estella: Don at top of steps to San Pedro church, which was closed.
9:01 AM – Estella: Don at medieval city gate Puerta de Castilla out of old town.
We stopped in Irache (aka Hyrache, or, in Basque, Iratxe) for the Fuente de Vino (wine fountain) at 9:45. At the fountain, we met our German man from Munich and the Spanish fruit-picking ladies. A young lady biker from Canada showed MT how to zoom in for iPhone photos.
9:29 AM – After Estella: Monasterio de Irache and Bodegas Irache in distance.
9:40 AM – Irache: outside the gate to the wine fountain (a young man was resting in sleeping bag); MT at front of line inside gate.
9:47 AM - Irache: signs (outside gate to left) about wine fountain; the sign at top for “Fuente de Irache – Fuente de Vino” with Spanish text above that translates as: “Pilgrim! If you want to reach to Santiago with force and vitality, take a drink of this great wine and toast to happiness.” The red sign below for “Bodegas Irache desde 1891” has text in Spanish and English; the English part: “Bodegas Irache invites the pilgrims to take a swig of this wine and, in this way, continue the tradition of the benedictine monks. This wine fountain was inaugurated in 1991 and appears in many guides to the pilgrims way to st. James. It has hundreds of references in internet and has been visited by thousands of people of different nationalities.
“We no longer provide a jar because all the previous ones were stolen. If you wish you can buy a glass, cost 1 euro, from the vending machine, the wine museum or the office.
“You can ask for a stamp of the wine fountain at the museum on Saturday and Sunday and in the office during working days. Maintaining the fountain in operation depends on its being used in a responsible way.
“Timetable: from 8:00 to 20:00”
A bodega is a winery or wine cellar. The Spanish term comes from Latin apothēca (“storehouse”), from Ancient Greek ἀποθήκη (apothḗkē, “storehouse”). Therefore, it can refer generically to a stockroom or storeroom; however, it commonly refers to a storehouse for maturing wine, i.e., a winery. (When borrowed from Spanish, it can also refer to a wine shop, a wine bar, a small, cheap, and possibly insalubrious tavern, or slang for anything considered worthless, useless, or bad.)
9:39 AM – Irache: wine fountain – Canadian bikers, German man from Munich, man with sleeping bag (outside gate), MT, and Italian man at wine fountain (tower of monastery in background).
9:38 AM – Irache: MT and Italian man at wine fountain. Gray sign at top left in Spanish translates: “Rules of use. We invite you with pleasure to drink without abusing; to take it with you, the wine must be purchased.” Red sign at botom left is in Spanish and English; the English part reads: “In this fountain there is a web cam. If you enter the page http://www.irache.com you will be able to see the pilgrims that come to visit us.” Red sign at right is in Spanish that translates as: “Drinking wine is prohibited to minors under 18 years.” Light gray sign at top right is about the dedication of the fountain in 1991.
9:43 AM - Irache: Don at wine fountain, filling his water bottle from the spigot labeled “Vino”; the spigot at the right was labeled “Agua.”
9:44 AM - Irache: MT at wine fountain, filling her water bottle from spigot labeled “Vino.”
9:45 AM - Irache: MT and Don at wine fountain.
9:50 AM - Irache: MT and Don at wine fountain (closeup).
9:50 AM - Irache: MT and young man from sleeping bag at wine fountain.
Then we visited the Monasterio de Irache from when it opened at 10 am until 10:11.
Santa María la Real de Irache is a former Benedictine monastery located near the town of Ayegui. The Benedictines started building it in the 11th century on top of another older monastery from the 8th century; Cistercian monks later converted it into a pilgrim hospital. The Romanesque church dates from the 12th century. Entry is free for pilgrims.
We got sellos there: “Monasterio de Irache, Antiguo Hospital de Peregrinos.”
9:29 AM - Monasterio de Irache (telephoto, 186 mm, taken just after leaving Estella).
10:05 AM – Monasterio de Irache – view from altar toward back of nave.
10:03 AM Monasterio de Irache – Plateresque cloister.
Plateresque, meaning “in the manner of a silversmith” (plata means silver in Spanish) was an artistic movement, especially architectural, traditionally held to be exclusive to Spain and its territories, which appeared between the late Gothic and early Renaissance in the late 15th century and spread over the next two centuries. It is a modification of Gothic spatial concepts and Renaissance elements. Examples of this syncretism are shields and pinnacles on facades, columns built in the Renaissance neoclassical manner, and façades divided into three parts (versus two in Renaissance architecture). The style is characterized by ornate decorative facades with floral designs, chandeliers, festoons, fantastic creatures, and all sorts of configurations. The spatial arrangement, however, is more clearly Gothic-inspired. (One example is the Hospital of the Catholic Monarchs in Santiago de Compostela).
10:09 AM – Monasterio de Irache with its tower in the Herrerian style (MT getting ready to leave).
The Herrerian style (Spanish: estilo Herreriano, Arquitectura herreriana) was developed in Spain during the last third of the 16th century and continued in force in the 17th century, but transformed by the Baroque current of the time, It corresponds to the third and final stage of Spanish Renaissance architecture, which evolved into a progressive purification of the ornamental, from the initial Plateresque to the classical purism of the second third of the 16th century and finally the total decorative absence that introduced the Herrerian style. The Herrerian style is characterized by its geometric rigor (preferably cubic), the mathematical relationship between the various architectural features, and the almost total absence of decoration, which is why it is sometimes called the desornamented style. It takes its name from the Cantabrian architect Juan de Herrera (1530-1610), who originated it in the construction of the Monastery of El Escorial in Madrid. Because of the location of its origin, it is also known as the escorial style (Spanish: estilo escurialense)
10:32 AM - After Irache: MT on path; Monjardin in distance.
11:19 AM – After Irache – Monjardin, still from distance, with castle at top (telephoto, 112 mm).
We stopped 11:45-12:22 in Azqueta (pop 64) for baño and lunch at Bar Azketako: 2 cheese and tomato sandwiches and split one piece of lemon cake (total 4.80€). As we were eating on the bar’s terraza, we saw a very old building on the same intersection, which turned out to be a casa rural. The lady in the bar told MT the casa rural there rented by the week or weekend, but there was one in Villamayor de Monjardín.
A terraza is a terrace, veranda, patio, or sidewalk café. Many bars and restaurants have a terraza for outside seating.
A casa rural (CR) is a form of lodging, sometimes called casa de turismo rural (CTR). Although casa rural literally means a country house, most of them along the Camino in Spain are actually in towns (in which case the rural might be interpreted as “rustic”). It may be a bed and breakfast or just provide rooms; in this sense, it is very similar to a pensión or hostal. Occasionally, it may be a full house for rent.
11:49 AM - Azqueta: MT at Bar Azketako (MT at terraza table on right).
12:23 PM – Azqueta: casa rural in very old building.
12:16 PM – from Azqueta: telephoto (156 mm) of Monjardín with castle (over 2 km away).
12:37 PM - After Azqueta: MT on rocky path with yellow arrow on rock in middle of path.
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12:37 PM - After Azqueta: MT on rocky path with yellow arrow on rock in middle of path (see red circle).
12:48 PM – Near Villamayor de Monjardín: more telephoto (360 mm) of Castillo de San Esteban on top of Monjardín.
12:49 PM – Near Villamayor de Monjardín: Don by wall of large rocks.
Just before entering Villamayor de Monjardín, we passed the 13th-century Fuente de los Moros (Fountain of the Moors) with its double arch of distinctly Mozarabic influence.
Mozarabs (adj. Mozarabic) were Iberian Christians who lived under Moorish rule. They remained unconverted to Islam, but did become “arabized” [Arabic:مستعرب transliterated musta'rab] by adopting elements of Arabic language and culture. They were mostly Roman Catholics of the Visigothic or Mozarabic Rite. Mozarabic architecture, influenced by Moorish style, is characterized by churches built using the typical Moorish horseshoe arch.
12:50 PM – Near Villamayor de Monjardín: Fuente de los Moros.
12:51 PM – Near Villamayor de Monjardín: MT at Fuente de los Moros.
We arrived at Villamayor de Monjardín (pop 150) at 1 pm.
Villamayor de Monjardín is dominated by the tower of the 12th-century Iglesia San Andres. The conical peak of Monjardín (890 m) with the ruins of Castillo de San Esteban forms a distinctive backdrop to the village. The ancient name of the mountain and the castle was Deyo, from the Basque word Deyerri of Deyoerri (land of Deyo, a wide region near Estella). Later, the castle's name was changed to San Esteban, after the chapel built inside it. Tradition says that the mountain's current name comes from the Navarrese monarch Sancho Garcés I, who conquered Castillo de San Esteban de Deyo, a fortress located on top of the mountain, in 907 and was buried in that castle after his death in 925. According to tradition, Monjardín comes from Mons Garcini, i.e., Monte Garcés. However, others think Monjardín is simply a compound of monte (mountain) or perhaps monjas (nuns) and jardín (garden). Villamayor de Monjarín is often referred to as a town of four lies, because it is neither a village, nor is it greater, nor does it have either nuns or garden.
We found the CR, but a sign on the door said “completo” (booked up).
1:08 PM - Villamayor de Monjardín: statue with plaque: “Sancho Garcés I – Rey de Pamplona y Deyo (905-925) Enterrado en el Castillo de Monjardín” [Sancho Garcés I – King of Pamplona and Deyo (905-925) Buried in the Castle of Monjardín]; Sancho’s statue is looking up at that castle (also known as Castille de San Esteban de Deyo) with 12th-century San Andrés church in background.
Sancho Garcés I (born c. 880-died 925) was king of Pamplona from 905-925. According to some historians, he was the first king of the Kingdom of Navarra, because before him the kingdom was only a small area around Pamplona, and he widened it considerably with conquests of the Arabs. At the death of the Count of Aragon, he occupied the lands of Aragon, ignoring the rights of inheritance, including those of the Muslim governor who was married to the count’s sister. Sancho Garcés solved the problem by marrying the count’s daughter. He also expanded the southern borders of the kingdom to reach La Rioja through a series of military campaigns against the Muslims. His capture of the Castillo de San Esteban de Deyo from the Muslims opened the door for his armies to enter the valley of the Río Ebro in La Rioja. He conquered Nájera and established his court there, providing a definitive organization of the Kingdom of Pamplona, which later became known as the Kingdom of Navarra. During his reign, he began to coin money, the first Christian kingdom to use such a privilege.
1:08 PM - Villamayor de Monjardíin: 12th-century San Andrés church and gateway.
Having found no good place to stay in Villamayor de Monjarin, we departed at 1:15 for the long walk (11.5 km) to Los Arcos.
2:13 PM - After Villamayor de Monjardíin: olives on tree.
Around 3 pm, we came to a huge stack of large hay bales (up to 11 tiers high). Only later (August 27) did we learn how they stack the bales so high.
3:14 PM – Near Los Arcos: MT by huge stack of large hay bales.
3:16 PM – Near Los Arcos: Don by huge stack of large hay bales.
4:06 PM – Los Arcos: goat and chickens in pen as we entered town.
We arrived in Los Arcos (pop 1,400) at 5 pm.
Los Arcos was a favorite place of the Kings of Navarra. Although there was a Vascone (Basque) settlement here from the late Bronze Age to the Iron Age, the current villa is of Roman origin. King Sancho Garcés I reconquered it from the Muslims in the 10th century and ordered its repopulaton. In the 11th century, the King of Navarra gave the town a coat of arms with bows (arcos) and arrows, and since then it has been called Los Arcos. The town formerly was called Uranica, and a 12th-century chronicle said: “Uranica que dicitur Arcus.” The center of the town is medieval and used to be encircled by walls. Three of the original seven gates remain to recall the fortress role of the town: Portal del Estanco, Portal de Castilla, and Portal de San José (aka Portal del Dinero).
We checked on Pensión Mavi, but the door was closed, with no bell. So we went on to Hotel Monaco, where we had stayed last year. At the reception, the man first showed us the medium season price of a double room as 53€, plus IVA (VAT value added tax), but, when we reacted to that, he said he could give us a smaller double room for the low season price of 49€; so we took it. We got sellos there. Don showered (in cold water) and we washed clothes in the sink and hung them in the window. Don went to check on mass at the nearby 12th-century Iglesia Santa María, which was at 8 pm.
5:49 PM – Los Arcos: Hotel Monaco (view from southeast, near Pensión Mavi).
5:50 PM – Los Arcos: Santa María church and Hotel Monaco (view from south, near Pensión Mavi).
Along the river at the far end of town is the Porta de Castilla in the form of a triumphal arch. It is a reconstruction of the 17th century and was restored again in 1739. The outer side has three coats of arms: a royal one flanked by two of Los Arcos, from the 17th century.
5:43 PM – Los Arcos: 17th-century gate Portal de Castilla and Santa María church from outside wall.
5:44 PM – Los Arcos: - modern statue of "S Jacobus" (Santiago) near the Casa de Cultura (outside the gate and across the river).
5:48 PM – Los Arcos: - fiesta tables in park by Hotel Monaco.
There seemed to be a fiesta (festival) going on in the town. A lot of people at this fiesta wore white shirts and pants with a red kerchief around their neck. They told MT it had something to do with independence.
Trying to find out what festival they were celebrating, we found the following possibilities: http://parroquiadelosarcos.blogspot.com has photos of this under “Día 14 de Agosto y pasacalles” and “Pasacalles fiestas 2014” dated 14 Aug 2014. www.fiestas.net/los-arcos/ says 14-15 August is the Fiesta de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción y San Roque en Los Arcos [August 15 is the feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, and August 16 is the feast day of San Roque]; however, it also says that August 15 is the anniversary of the Battle of Roncesvalles in 778, in which Charlemagne was routed by the Basques and the hero Hruodland (Roland in French) died. www.turismo.navarra,es says: “Between 14th and 20th August the town's festivities are held in honour of Our Lady of the Assumption and San Roque. Encierros (bull runs), capeas (amateur bullfights) with steers, music and fireworks liven up the town during that week.”
Pasacalles (literally passing through the streets) can be translated as parade or procession.
Just inside the Portal de Castilla was the Plaza de Santa María, where other parts of the festival were taking place.
The Plaza de Santa María (aka Plaza de la Iglesia) is the true heart of the town. Its southern flank is occupied by the portico of Iglesia Santa Maria, while the remaining sides have buildings of the 17th century, also with porticos, lintels, and arches, especially on the north side, on sturdy stone pillars and in some cases on columns.
6:54 PM – Los Arcos: sign for 11€ pilgrim menu at bar in Plaza de Santa María; we didn’t end up eating there.
6:55 PM – Los Arcos: detailed sign of 11€ menu del peregrino (behind the first) with sign for sangria by pitcher or glass.
We heard music in a street off the Plaza de Santa María, and MT went up that street to investigate, just as the musicians and an accompanying crowd began a mad dash into the square.
6:59 PM – Los Arcos: band members running down side street toward Plaza de Santa María (MT took this as they suddenly ran toward her).
6:59 PM – Los Arcos: band members emerging from side street into Plaza de Santa María (MT was caught in the crowd somewhere behind them).
6:59 PM – Los Arcos: band playing in Plaza de Santa María.
7:03 PM – Los Arcos: crowd gathered around band playing in Plaza de Santa María (portico of Santa María de Los Arcos church in background).
7:04 PM – Los Arcos: crowd gathered around band playing in Plaza de la Iglesia (portico of Santa María de Los Arcos church on right, Portal de Castilla in background).
7:10 PM – Los Arcos: band playing in Plaza de Santa María (on far side of square, MT is standing in front of Casa Emilio Alimentación, where we bought fruit). The orange shirts identified the band as Txaranga Malababa.
When we went into the Casa Emilio Alementación (grocery) to buy fruit (3.75€), a middle-aged lady who was playing trombone with the band rushed in and got something from the lady at the register. Then we went back to Hotel Monaco.
As we went out around 7:30 to check on restaurant and bar menus before mass, we stepped into Plaza del Coso just outside our hotel just in time to see fake bullfighting, with torros on wheels chasing children.
7:32 PM – Los Arcos: fake bull fight for children in Plaza del Coso.
7:33 PM – Los Arcos: fake bull fight for children in Plaza del Coso.
7:33 PM – Los Arcos: fake bull fight for children in Plaza del Coso.
7:34 PM – Los Arcos: fake bull fight for children in Plaza del Coso (visible here is a gate that may have enclosed real bulls).
7:34 PM – Los Arcos: fake bull fight for children in Plaza del Coso.
We went to the 8 pm mass at Iglesia de Santa María de Los Arcos, with a pilgrim blessing up front at the end of mass. At mass, we met the Polish deacon from Switzerland and his friend.
Iglesia de Santa María de los Arcos is one of the most important churches in Navarra. The original Romanesque church built in 1175 was one of the largest on the Camino de Santiago. It was embellished in the 16th through 18th centuries with Gothic, Baroque, and Classical elements. Access to the church is by the Renaissance north façade in Plateresque style, from 1591. The bell tower, which includes Gothic and Renaissance features, is also from the 16th century. However, the church’s Baroque interior is its present claim to glory.
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Los Arcos: Iglesia de Santa María de los Arcos – entrance (under arcade) and tower (www.fernandezdearcaya.com).
5:39 PM – Los Arcos: Santa María church – view from rear of nave toward main altar (in afternoon).
The large main altarpiece from the mid-17th century is an exceptional example of Navarrese Baroque, although it still has traces of the Romanesque style. It has a lot of Baroque sculpture consisting of 3 religious series: first, the figure of the church (represented by the 12 Apostles carved in walnut), second the cycle of the Passion of Christ, and third dedicated to María (the “Mariologico” series is in 6 frames, 3 on each side of the corpus).
8:33 PM – Los Arcos: Santa María church – 17th-century main altar during pilgrim blessing after mass.
In the center of the main altarpiece is the figure of Nuestra Señora Santa María de Los Arcos: The virgin is in a seated position, with the Divine Child on her left knee; her hair is covered with a tiny bonnet and a cloverhitched crown. The Child holds a book in his left hand, with his right hand as if ready to bless. This image was in the old Romanesque church of 1175. In front of the image is an inscription, as all black virgins have: “Nigra sum sed formosa.” This is from the 13th century and from the Ile de France, where there are a lot of black virgins. She was restored in Madrid in 1947, where they removed her black color. She has an oriental look with almond-shaped eyes. Santa María de Los Arcos is called “The black virgin with light blue eyes.”
5:40 PM – Los Arcos: Santa María church – Santa María de Los Arcos statue on main altar.
8:39 PM – Los Arcos: Santa María church – Santiago Apóstol statue by entrance.
8:39 PM – Los Arcos: Santa María church - Santiago Apóstol statue by entrance (closer up).
5:41 PM – Los Arcos: Santa María church – Santiago Apóstol statue inside entrance (in different light).
After mass, we ate the 11€ menu at Restaurante Mesón de Gargantúa in Plaza de la Iglesia: both had 1st course: salad; 2nd course: merluza and fries (forgot to ask); desert: tarta helado (ice cream cake). At dinner, we met the 2 Irish girls. Jenny and Katy, who were taking a bus to Logroño the next day.
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Meson de Gargantua – exterior (mesondegargantua.multiespaciosweb.com).
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Meson Gargantua – interior (mesondegargantua.multiespaciosweb.com).
Back at the hotel, there was no hot water again at 10:30 pm.
10:16 PM – Los Arcos: Santa María church – floodlit from our window in Hotel Monaco.
We also stayed in Hotel Monaco and had lunch at Meson Gargantua in 2016.
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