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The church was inspired by the French Gothic Cathedral of
Notre Dame. It has three naves and the chancel was built
over a crypt that stood on the ground unevenness. The entrance
to the crypt was at the wall of the Gospel side. On its
exterior stands a large quadrangular tower from the 14 C,
which contains the Gothic image of the Roncesvalles Virgin,
key piece in the Collegiate. Supposedly it was brought from
Toulouse. The church houses many treasures, such as a book
of the Gospel from the 12 C, whereon the kings of Navarra
took the oath of loyalty; a casket from the 12 C worked
in gold and silver, and a Mudéjar casket with the
shields of the kings of Navarra.
The original building of the monastery was destroyed by
fire in the year 1400. The Chapter house, later converted
into San Agustín´s Chapel, is the only part
that remains from the original construction. In its interior
are the Gothic sarcophagi of King Sancho VII the Strong
and her Queen, Doña Clemencia de Toulouse. The present
cloister dates back to the 17 C.
The crypt comprises a straight section with barrel vaults
and a pentagonal apse. On the three piers of the apse open
splayed windows. Its walls and vaults are throughly decorated
with 13 C murals representing wainscots with tridimensional
frets, foliated bands, imitation of broken ashlaring and
imitation of drapery.
The Collegiate Church also houses
Santiago´s chapel and a Library-Museum from the end
of the 19 C that contains many treasures collected over
the years, such as Carlomagno´s chessboard, the Virgin
of Tesoro, the Romanesque silver book of the Gospel...
Next to the Collegiate Church stands
the Romanesque chapel of Sancti Spiritus (12 C), which served
formerly as a funerary chapel for the pilgrims who died
in the area.
Roncesvalles Collegiate Church has
always been an important staging post on the Route to Santiago.
Nowadays pilgrims still receive the blessing, just like
they did at the beginning of pilgrimages.
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