Discover Muruzábal: Eunate and Church Art

Muruzábal offers several distinct themes to consider when planning a trip: the architecture of Santa María de Eunate, the art and tomb in San Esteban, and the Palace of the Marqués de Zabalegui. The route to Eunate is another consideration when planning your itinerary. When planning a hotel stay, you can choose between church art, Romanesque architecture, a local pilgrimage and an additional stretch of the route.

Santa María de Eunate: Architecture and Itinerary Planning

Santa María de Eunate has an octagonal floor plan and a detached cloister with 33 arches. The floor plan describes the shape of the church as seen from above; the cloister is another distinct architectural feature. The church has also been designated a “Bien de Interés Cultural,” a cultural heritage designation. A guided tour covers the surroundings and the church interior. As tour schedules may change, check the tour dates before travelling. The detour from Muruzábal to the church adds about six kilometres to the stage. For daily planning, allow for this additional distance separately from the time needed for the visit.

Pilgrimages and Visitor Information

Recurring local pilgrimages from Muruzábal to Eunate take place on the Monday after Pentecost and on 24 August. The two dates offer different reference points for planning your trip: the first depends on the date of Pentecost, while the second is a fixed calendar date. If you would like to include one of these religious traditions in your stay, you can plan your travel dates accordingly. Casa de Onat is next to the church and handles the sale of admission tickets, stamping of pilgrims’ credentials and visitor enquiries. As these visitor arrangements may change, confirm them locally before you arrive.

San Esteban: Art from Several Periods

San Esteban features artworks and a tomb from several periods. The main altar houses a 16th-century statue of the Virgin Mary that comes from Eunate. The chapel in the Epistle aisle houses the tomb of Bishop Juan Juániz of Calahorra (1666). Its location in the Epistle aisle identifies the tomb’s position in the church more precisely. Also here is the Retablo de los Santos Juanes, a Gothic work from the late 15th or early 16th century. A retablo is an altarpiece; the term helps distinguish the work from the statue of the Virgin Mary and the tomb. The retablo and the statue date to similar periods, while the tomb, dated 1666, provides a later point of reference.

Palace of the Marqués de Zabalegui

The Palace of the Marqués de Zabalegui adds secular architecture to the religious themes. Its Baroque stone façade dates from the late 17th century, and towers stand at the corners. The palace currently houses a bodega. Thus, alongside the historical description of the façade, there is also an aspect of its current use. Its materials, architectural style and period of construction offer a different architectural focus from the works in San Esteban or the Romanesque church of Eunate.

Discover more destinations: Araitz, Yesa, Urzainqui, Meoz, Villafranca, Arrarats, Pamplona, Mélida.

For the broader travel overview: Navarra.