In the morning, the water at Hotel Monaco was still not hot. MT said the church bells had rung all night, and the fiesta event in Plaza del Coso (scheduled for 0:00) had gone well past midnight. Both were very close to our hotel. Don’s clothesline got caught in the window hinges, and he had to cut it and tie the ends together (it still worked for the rest of the trip).
7:57 AM – Los Arcos: Santa María de Los Arcos church (with storks’ nest on lantern of cupola) from our hotel room in am.
The hotel restaurant was still closed; so we had breakfast at the bar downstairs: 2 tortillas, 2 coffee (MT drank both), 2 orange juice, and bread (9.80€ total). We checked out of the hotel and departed Los Arcos at 8:20 am.
9:46 AM – path leaving Los Arcos: we could see Logroño in the distance and Viana to the right.
10:19 AM - Between Los Arcos and Sansol: stone hut in field.
10:38 AM – Sansol: approaching town.
We reached Sansol (aka San Sol, pop 127) around 10:45. Dominating the horizon is the Iglesia de San Zoilo (a Christian martyr after whom the town is named).
10:49 AM – Sansol: city limit sign, entering town; Iglesia de San Zoilo to right.
The Iglesia de San Zoilo was built in 1704 to replace a dilapidated earlier church of the 16th century. It has a tall slender bell tower with a unique belfry topped by a small dome and a lantern with arches and balls. Other than the ornate bell tower, the exterior is rather “naked,” in the sober Herrerian style.
10:59 AM – Sansol: looking back from path over fields to Iglesia de San Zoilo.
10:59 AM – Sansol: looking back from path over fields (telephoto) at Iglesia de San Zoilo.
We arrived in Torres del Río (pop 198) at 11:00.
Torres del Río means Towers of the River, referring to Río Linares, which lies on the northeast side of the town. A settlement existed here already in Roman times. The town, also known as Torres de Sansol, existed before the Muslim invasion and was reconquered after taking Monjardín. Already in 1109 it had a monastery subordinate to the one at Irache. In the 12th-century Codex Calixtinus, Aymeric Picaud wrote: “Near a place called Torres, on Navarrese soil, flows a river that kills horses and men who drink from it.”
At the entrance to the town, we saw the 12th-century Iglesia de Santo Sepulcro, commanding a high hill.
11:05 AM - Torres del Río: entering town - Albergue Casa Mariela with tienda at right, Iglesia de Santo Sepulcro in background.
The Iglesia de Santo Sepulcro, built around 1170 under the auspices of the Monasterio de Irache, is a beautiful example of Romanesque architecture of the 12th century. It was patterned on the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, but changing the circular shape to octagonal and adapting it in an Islamic way; there is clear Mudéjar influence. It is a rare example of medieval art in which everything leads to verticality, as opposed to the horizontality and heaviness normally associated with the Romanesque. It is a sober and harmonious building with three bodies clearly differentiated: the first blind (no openings, except for the entrance on the south side), the second with pointed arches (most of which are blind) and illuminated by two tall but thin windows (with archivolts and columns) above the apse, and the upper with large windows (surrounded by archivolts and columns, on each of the sides except the west where the tower is) that illuminate the inner dome. Many historians have linked its construction with the Knights Templar. The lofty cupola, with its cross-ribbed vault forming an 8-sided star, is particularly notable and emblematic of the Knights, although it is also reminiscent of Muslim mosques. Medieval pilgrims were guided by a beacon of light from a small fire kept burning inside the octagonal lantern crowning the cupola. The lantern is a miniature version of the church, also with three bodies. The tall cylindrical tower on the west side contains a spiral staircase for climbing to the lantern to attend the beacon.
An archivolt is an ornamental molding or band following the curve on the underside of an arch. Some arches have a series of archivolts.
11:08 AM - Torres del Río: Iglesia de Santo Sepulcro.
11:07 AM - Torres del Río: Don at entrance of Iglesia de Santo Sepulcro (semicircular apse at right).
Mudéjar is a medieval Spanish corruption of the Arabic: دجن (transliterates as Mudajjan), meaning “domesticated” or “tamed,” which is the name given to individual Moors or Muslims of Al-Andalus (Andalusia, aka Moorish Spain) who remained in Iberia after the Christian Reconquista (Reconquest) but were not converted to Christianity, unlike Moriscos who had converted.
Mudéjar also denotes a style of Iberian architecture and decoration, particularly of Aragon and Castile, of the 12th to 16th centuries, strongly influenced by Moorish taste and workmanship. The Moors had dominated the Iberian Peninsula since the 8th century. The Mudéjar style, resulting from Muslim and Christian cultures living side by side for nearly 800 years, emerged as an architectural style in the 12th century on the Iberian Peninsula. Most historians agree that it was first developed in Sahagún in the province of León.
Mudéjar architecture is characterized by the use of brick as the main material. It used elaborate tilework, brickwork, and stucco work, particularly in powerful bell towers (some resembling an Islamic minaret) and arcades apses. One of the characteristics associated with Moorish architecture is the horseshoe arch, although the Visigoths had also used this before the Moors came to Iberia. It also used polylobe arches, as well as pointed arches like those of the Gothic style, but “arabized.” Mudéjar did not involve the creation of new shapes or structures (unlike Gothic or Romanesque) but the reinterpretation of Western cultural styles through Islamic influences. In erecting Romanesque, Gothic, and Renaissance buildings, builders used elements of Islamic art and often achieved striking results.
The Mudéjars were skilled artisans, craftsmen, carpenters, and masons. As the Christians moved south during the Reconquista, there was a shortage of Christian workers in the rapidly expanding Christian areas. So, the Mudéjars were contracted for the construction of many of the new building projects embarked on in the recently reconquered cities, among which were the churches erected in the name of the new faith. Even after Muslims were no longer employed in architecture, many of the elements they had introduced continued to be incorporated into Spanish architecture, giving it a distinctive appearance.
Spain was the center of the Mudéjar style because the Christians practiced tolerance during the Reconquest and allowed Moors to remain in Spain, leading to a convergence of Arabic and European cultures. This influence survived into the early 17th century, when the Mudéjars were forced to convert to Christianity or leave the country. Portugal also has examples of Mudéjar art and architecture, although these are fewer and the style simpler than in Spain. Latin America also has examples of Mudéjar art and architecture, due to Spanish colonization during the period of Mudéjar influence.
As we continued through town, a lady on the terrace above the street was lowering a basket for food delivery from tienda for the large, nice house above where she probably worked. She told us to try (Albergue) Mari around the corner; they had a double room, but the bathroom and shower were outside in a courtyard. We departed Torres del Río at 11:15.
We stopped to eat fruit and nuts near Poyo (high point) 11:50-12:10. We met a retired couple from Canada several times, and walked part of the way with them and two Austrian friends they had met.
12:10 PM – Near Poyo (high point): MT and stacked stone memorials.
12:12 PM – Near Poyo (high point): paper message under a stone: “Estas piedras [son] el testigo del esfuerzo y energía de los peregrinos, que su fe te acompañe hasta Santiago de Compostela. ¡Sigue la estrella! … Juan, Sue y ____” [These stones are the witness of the effort and energy of the pilgrims, that their faith may accompany you to Santiago de Compostela. Follow the star!]
12:34 PM – Near Poyo (high point): view toward Logroño in distance (Viana on right).
12:45 PM – Near Poyo (high point): looking back on the path we came down, with some steeper shortcuts; some heather on hillside.
1:02 PM – Near Poyo (high point): heather (vineyard at right).
In the middle of nowhere, between the Poyo and Viana, a young couple had set up a “help” stop from the back of their van with homemade jams, bread, drinks, etc., for a free-will offering. We stopped for a snack (MT juice/Don cola and 2 stuffed cookies each) and gave them 5€.
1:14 PM – Between Poyo and Viana: MT and snack van on path.
1:38 PM – Between Poyo and Viana: MT looking back down the path we climbed.
We arrived in Viana (pop 4,084) just before 3 pm.
The Camino goes through the historical center of Viana (founded in 1219), which is little changed since medieval pilgrims passed through. It preserves part of the walled complex and many houses emblazoned with coats of arms. Back in the 15th century, Viana was a major pilgrim stop with four pilgrim hospitals. Viana is the last Navarrese town on the Camino, near the border with La Rioja. Due to its border location, the town had a turbulent past as a defensive garrison against the Kingdom of Castile, and its defensive walls are well preserved on its western side. Monarchs of Navarra frequently used it as a residence and command post. The Crown Princes of Navarra held the title of Prince of Viana until they assumed the throne
We got off the Camino and asked directions to Iglesia San Pedro. From there, Don found Pensión San Pedro, where we had stayed last year, but we decided to try the 3-star Hotel Palacio de Pujadas first to check the price (double 70€/with breakfast 80€). So we went back to Pensión San Pedro at 3:11 pm for a double room con baño y balcón for 40€ (same as last year). We got sellos there. We showered, washed clothes, and hung them on the balcony (with its own clothesline).
5:04 PM – Viana: Pensión San Pedro, with our clothes hanging on balcony.
5:06 PM – Viana: Palacio Pujadas hotel, next to Iglesia San Pedro (left).
We visited the ruins of Iglesia San Pedro.
Iglesia San Pedro was the first church to be built in Viana in the 13th century in the Gothic style. The original building was remodeled in the 16th century. With its powerful tower, it occupied a strategic place on the western flank of the walled town. Therefore, it was ruined in 1844 during the First Carlist War, when it was used as a barracks. 18th-century additions that damaged its main walls also contributed to the collapse. However, its Baroque façade dating from the 18th century is still in good condition; it consists of a semicircular arch over the mid-17th-century door, which is flanked by Corinthian columns. In a niche above the door is a good statue of San Pedro (St Peter).
5:07 PM – Viana: Iglesia San Pedro – Baroque façade with main door (and sealed door at right).
5:14 PM – Viana: Iglesia San Pedro – main door (straight on).
5:10 PM – Viana: Iglesia San Pedro – frescoes in one corner of the aisle that still stands, previously hidden by layers of paint but brought to light in 2010 during stone cleaning.
5:10 PM – Viana: Iglesia San Pedro – interior wall and MT.
5:11 PM – Viana: Iglesia San Pedro – interior wall with rose window and view into apse and the standing side aisle.
5:12 PM – Viana: Iglesia San Pedro – interior wall with rose window and view into apse.
5:15 PM – Viana: view down street Navarro Villosada toward Santa María church.
We got sellos at Iglesia de Santa María de la Asunción.
Iglesia de Santa María de la Asunción (aka Santa Maria Asunta de Viana) is a Gothic church of great size worthy of a cathedral. It was built between 1250 and 1312 in the Gothic style. The 14th-century west portal remains in good condition; it has a simple Gothic door with standing image of the Virgin and Child flanked by two angels in adoration. In the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries it underwent numerous alterations, including the Renaissance façade and Baroque main altarpiece. The tower and the southern doorway were built in the 16th century. The Herrerian-style tower, built between 1584 and 1593, has a classic look with four rectangular holes for the bells. Originally built high on a hill by monarchs of Navarra to defend against Castile, it remained a defensive stronghold until the 19th century.
5:21 PM - Viana: Iglesia de Santa María de la Asunción, from Plaza de los Fueros.
In the 16th century, the southern door was replaced by a monumental Plateresque entrance, considered one of the best facades of Spanish Renaissance architecture. It is built like an altarpiece. On the curved wall and vault are sculptural scenes from the life of Christ: the Agony in the Garden, the Annunciation, and the Birth of Christ. On the tympanum of the door is the seated Virgin with Child adored by angels. Above the door is a scene depicting both the Crucifixion and the removal of Christ from the cross. In the central dome is the figure of Our Lady of the Assumption, titular saint of the church. The sides have niches with large statues, and the whole is topped by a triangular pediment. In the pavement in front of the door is the tomb of Cesare Borgia, who was killed in an ambush in Viana in 1507.
A tympanum is the semicircular or triangular decorative wall surface over an entrance, bounded by a lintel and arch. It often contains sculpture or other imagery or ornaments. The bands of molding surrounding the tympanum are referred to as the archivolt.
5:25 PM - Viana: Iglesia de Santa María de la Asunción – MT at main entrance (fine 16th-century recessed doorway on the south side).
5:25 PM - Viana: Iglesia de Santa María de la Asunción – MT at main entrance (south side door) farther back for wider angle that included triangular pediment at top and Borgia tomb in pavement below.
5"24 PM - Viana: Iglesia de Santa María de la Asunción- tomb of Cesare Borgia. The Spanish plaque translates: “Caesar Borgia Generalissimo of the Navarrese and Papal Armies killed on the fields of Viana on 11 March 1507.”
5:31 PM – Viana: view on Medio de San Pedro back toward Pensión San Pedro (with motorcycle parked in front).
We ate 9€ menú del peregrino at Restaurante El Villano (down the street Medio de San Pedro from our pension): 1st course: MT paella/Don gazpacho; 2nd course: both had pollo asado (half chicken, baked) with salad vice patatas fritas; dessert: MT vanilla pudding/Don “strawberry” ice cream (cone); red wine (vino tinto) from La Rioja (total 18€).
6:34 PM - Viana: Restaurante El Villano: entrance and sign.
6:33 PM - Viana: Restaurante El Villano: Don at outside table with gazpacho and wine.
6:31 PM - Viana: Restaurante El Villano: MT with paella, bread, and Rioja wine (Don’s gazpacho in foreground).
6:37 PM - Viana: Restaurante El Villano: Rioja wine (with Coca Cola placemats).
We went to 8 pm mass at Iglesia de Santa María de la Asunción and got a pilgrim blessing with sprinkling after mass.
7:34 PM - Viana: Iglesia de Santa María de la Asunción – old statue of Santiago Apóstol in glass case near entrance.
7:34 PM - Viana: Iglesia de Santa María de la Asunción – view toward main altar.
The exceptional golden Baroque main altar (late 17th century) depicts the Virgin of the assumption surrounded by the 12 apostles. A 15th-century side altar of the Crucifixion has a figure of Santiago Matamoros at the top.
7:38 PM - Viana: Iglesia de Santa María de la Asunción – side altar with Santiago Matamoros at top.
8:35 PM - Viana: Iglesia de Santa María de la Asunción – pilgrims after mass, including the Polish deacon from Switzerland (next to MT) and his friend next to him; man at right has his foot on tomb of Cesare Borgia.
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