STAGE 7 - LOGROñO to NáJERA

 This was another grueling day. 18 miles! So far this portion of the trail is the least attractive overall. It has its beautiful and charming moments, but once you leave Navarrete you follow the highway pretty much until you reach Nájera; and to enter Nájera you walk through a lot of industrial areas.

Let's start with the beautiful things. Leaving Logroño you walk through a nature preserve with a manmade lake. We remember this place well from 2023! 

Here we encountered the "demon squirrels" (really a common Red Squirrel) They are so accustomed to people feeding them that they will charge right at you! (Despite the instructions NOT to feed the animals.)

While walking along the side of the lake this crazy looking bird just stood in a small puddle of water. When he emerged you could see that he had a HUGE pair of feet. He just quietly wandered about a bit, jumped on to a barrier that encircles the lake, jumped into the water and paddled off. I have learned that this is a Common Moorhen.

Our first significant city along this stage is Navarrete. 

What makes this place so interesting is what is before you get to the city and as you are leaving it. Built outside the city is the Hospital of San Juan de Arce was founded in 1185 with a donation from doña María Ramirez. The hospital was dedicated to the care of sick or dying pilgrims. Archeologists began excavating the site in 1990 that uncovered the foundation and walls as well as four interments.

Now the really interesting fact. The original portada (main doors) and two windows survived and now form part of the front/opening to the municipal cemetery at the opposite end of the city. They are truly beautiful examples of Romanesque architecture.

Capitals on the left of the Portada.

Capitals to the right of the Portada

These openings would have corresponded to the apse of the church.

From Navarrete to Nájera there were some beautiful moments (far from the highway!)...

This is a very small town called Ventosa. It is part of an alternate route that we took in 2023. Not much there aside from this church, a few homes, and a café.

I always enjoy coming across shepherds, their sheep dog and their flock. The dog would go back and forth keeping the flock from crossing a clearly marked line between a field of grain and an open area where there were weeds, etc. All the shepherd had to do was give his commands and the dog obeyed. I think that there is a message here for all of us to learn about obedience, listening to the promptings of the spirit, and being persistent in our righteous endeavors. 

Nájera is a small town. Its most redeeming aspect is the Monasterio de Santa María la Real. 

Inside its walls are some amazing architectural treasures. Beginning with the entrance to the cloister. In a domed space is a royal staircase and the Puerta de Carlos I (15th century)

However, for me the real gem in this space is the ceiling. First, it is an amazing example of trompe-l'œil (which is the creation of the illusion of dimension on a flat surface). At its center is a representation of a pelican that overtime come to symbolize Christ. Let me explain. People believed that the pelican would peck at its own flesh to feed its young. This image was transferred to the image of Christ who sacrifices self on behalf of us; ergo our Savior. 

Next comes the cloister...

The style is Gothic with elements of the plateresque that was popular during the late 14th and early 15th centuries. The cloister, commonly referred to as the Cloister of the Knights, dates from between 1517 and 1528. Its ribbed vaults and ornate stone traceries create a highly spiritual and peaceful environment.

When the sun is in just the right place the halls are further beautified with the shadows from the traceries and their unique latticework motifs.

The church is yet another amazing piece of architecture. The original building dates from 1052 when a small church was built around a cave. So, here is the story. One day king García Sánchez III of Navarra was hunting with his falcon. The falcon darted after a small bird that entered a nearby cave. When the king went to investigate where his falcon had gone, he discovered the image of the Virgin Mary, a lit flame, and a bell. This miraculous discovery led to the founding of the church. Today you can go into that cave where a replica of the statue is found. The original statue is found in England and was taken as booty by the Black Prince after helping Peter the Cruel in one of his battles...

The current church dates from between 1422 and 1453. It is a simple Gothic space with towering columns and little decoration aside from the magnificent altar was commissioned by the Catholic Kings, Isabel and Fernando in 1482. Here is a visual of the center nave...

At the back of the church, flanking the opening to the cave are the tombs of Navarra's kings and their queens.

The efigies on these tombs date from the 16th century.

Of all the tombs the most intriguing is that of Blanca Garcés (a.k.a., Blanca de Navarra). She was born in 1137 and died in 1156. The only thing that remains of her tomb is the lid...

On one side is her interment with two angels gently holding her spirit and lifting it towards heaven. On either side of this scene are groups of mourners. Above the scene of her spirit being lifted into heaven is a Christ Panocrator (a.k.a., Christ in glory) with a mandorla (the almond shaped image around the Christ figure). This correlation is significant since mandorlas were associated with doors; here Christ stands at the door to receive Blanca's spirit. On either side of Christ are the twelve Apostles.

On the opposite side the bottom scenes from left to right are: the flight of the Magi from Herod and the slaughter of the innocents. Perhaps a message that we are to escape from evil because evil destroys.

The top of the lid shows the story of the wise virgins who filled their lamps with oil (to the right of the Christ figure; our left) and the unwise virgins (to the left of the Christ figure; our right. Part of the lid (to the left) was destroyed. 

 And, of course like any good pilgrim we are always on the look out for a statue of he for whom the Camino is named, even Santiago (Saint James)

Until the next episode, BUEN CAMINO