HISTORY AND DESCRIPTION OF EUNATE
In the center of Navarra, from Campanas to Puente la Reina and in the Ilzarbe Valley is the impressive church of Santa María de Eunate, a sober religious monument that stands, solitary and silent, in the middle of nowhere, like a lighthouse that illuminates and serves as a guide to the traveler, marking the path and indicating the proximity of the destination.
The temple is located very close to the Aragonese Way of Santiago, also called Camino de Somport, which is why it is part of the route of many pilgrims. It is a must stop On this path not only because of the beauty of the building, there is also an aura of mystery that surrounds its origins and leads us to investigate its history. Outside there is several graves, some marked with the scallop shells that identify the pilgrims along the way.
There is no agreement regarding its origin: There are those who maintain that it is the work of the Order of the Temple and that the construction emulates the church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem; while another version states that it is the creation of the Order of Saint John.
What can be taken as certain about the history of the place is that popular folklore maintains that at the site telluric forces converge, that it rains there at least half of what it rains in Pamplona, being a few kilometers away, which at some point was outlaw shelter and that is a magic space, many of its stones are full of symbols; this aura motivated the queen Mrs. Sancha and this is another version, to devise its construction to turn the place into a monument dedicated to good and peace, another hypothesis states that it was built by a high-class lady to be her funeral chapel.
Regardless of its origin, the temple is Romanesque style and is located in the municipal area of Muruzabal which today is part of the Foral Community of Navarra. Its construction is located between late XNUMXth century and the beginning of the 13th century, and is dedicated to Saint Mary. Its particular ashlar stone design is octagonal and has thirty-three semicircular arches that make up a beautiful porticoed gallery that surrounds her
In contrast, the apse has a five-sided plan and its turret has a square plan, which makes the complex present a very original architectural harmony.
The interior is divided into two parts: the main body of the temple, and the apse. The roof vault is very high and configured by a network of nerves supported by decorated columns and capitals.Read more
The solitude and silence of the temple and the peace that it and its surroundings transmit offer rest and relief to the body and soul of the pilgrim and to everyone who visits it. For this reason, whether or not Aragonese Way of Santiago, visiting the temple of Santa María de Eunate is an unmissable destination on your visit to Navarra.
