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Castillo de Javier

Javier, Sangüesa, Navarra

1 Villages · 2 Monuments · 2 Activities · 1 Curiosities

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Castillo de Javier

Monument · Javier, Sangüesa, Navarra

A fortress with foundations and plinths of possible 10th-century Muslim origin, extended with a wall in the 11th century and polygonal towers in the 13th. In 1516, Cardinal Cisneros ordered its partial demolition —tearing down walls, filling in the moat, and reducing by half the tower of San Miguel—, the oldest one preserved. In the late 19th century, the Duchess of Villahermosa and her husband promoted its reconstruction, with the adjoining basilica built between 1896 and 1900 under the direction of the architect Ángel Goicoechea; the complex later passed into the hands of the Society of Jesus. The tower of the Santo Cristo preserves a late Gothic crucifix and a rare Spanish mural painting of the danse macabre, and the castle today houses a museum dedicated to the life of San Francisco Javier.

1516; 1896-1900

Photo: Julina (CC BY-SA 3.0 es)

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