Welcome to the Javier Castle Museum!
Javier Castle Museum is located in Navarra.
At the beginning of the second millennium, in the 11th century, Esabierre, a Basque name that means new house, was an isolated defensive tower, located on the border between the kingdoms of Navarre and Aragon.
History
What began as a defensive and surveillance tower between the kingdoms of Navarra and Aragon was expanded with various enclosures and walls. The owner family lived inside, as well as the day laborers with their families. The demolition of the defensive areas made it possible for the complex to be enabled as a refuge for the men and women who worked there. At the end of the 19th century, the Duchess of Villahermosa and Countess of Javier decided to restore it, returning it to its splendor. To do this, she restored the interior.
Various works carried out by José María Recondo SJ and José Luis Alberdi SJ, with the supervision of the architect Mr. Valentín Gamazo, restored the Torre del Homenaje and other specific points of it, as the rooms occupied by the Jesuits were left free and the entire time could be dedicated Castle for visits by tourists and pilgrims.
In 1995, with the imminent celebration of the fifth centenary of the birth of St. Francis, the architect D. Antón López de Aberásturi was commissioned to restore the castle with modern criteria and combining the historical reality of the castle and the fact that it had been the birthplace of St. Francis, saint of universal fame.
Entrance and dioramas of López Furió
The drawbridge gives access to the main door, protected by a machicolation and crowned by the family shields: a set engraved with the arms of the Jasso and Azpilcueta, which flank two tenant angels who hold the coat of arms of the Javier manor.
In 1967, José Luis López Furió and Josep Blasco i Canet built the 12 sculptures that summarize the most significant moments in the life of St. Francis.
Rooms and contents of the Museum
The old stables of the Castle spread over three floors contain art objects, diagrams, plans and documents, along with a scale model of the castle, chalices, paintings and engravings.
In addition, you can access the Large Room. This room was the dining room, the kitchen, the fireplace and the living room where long evenings and family secrets took place.
Above the large room there is currently a modern Oratory, but reflecting the ancient construction, it offers the visitor visual access to the Chapel of Christ.
Going down the lame staircase, you enter the Chapel of Saint Michael, patron saint of the Castle, and the so-called Saint's Room, where Saint Francis lived from a young age until he left for the University of Paris in 1525.
Chapel of Christ
It is the greatest treasure of the castle. It occupies the so-called tower of Christ, a small space originally used by the family as a place of worship and prayer.
In addition, we can also access the parade ground where the cistern is preserved to supply the Castle with water, as well as a small space that served as a prison.
Upon reaching the entrance it is easy to imagine that the original access was from the opposite direction: from the entrance there was access, through the parade ground, to the stairs of Christ and the large room, the core of the castle, which are now visited at the final.
