CF08 - Viana - Navarrete - 22,3 km
Itinerary
The Way of Saint James leaves Navarre when, coming from Viana and from “Ermita de la Virgen de las Cuevas”, you will end up on the N-111.
You will border Cantabria’s Mount, which raises 100 m over the River Ebro. On its top, some remains have been recently discovered on archeological excavations. These are believed to be the remains of an old settlement from the 3th Century, before Christian Times, and which has been populated until the Middle Ages.
Later on, you will descend to the municipal cemetery of Logroño. Then, you will have to cross the Bridge of Stone to arrive at the first city you will find in La Rioja. Logroño is a city built in 1884 over an older settlement which is supposed to be a work from San Juan Ortega, a disciple of Santo Domingo de la Calzada (both architects of the Way, on 11th and 12th Centuries.
When you cross the River Ebro, you will go on the first street on the right (Rua Vieja). The hostel for pilgrims is the old baroque house on number 32, which is next to the church of Santa María de Palacio. Its svelte pyramidal tower is known as “The Needle”. It is a late Romanesque temple that was the original house of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre in Castile Kingdom. Inside the church you will see the statue of Santa María de Palacio, an exceptional Romanesque sculpture made on polychrome stone.
This street keeps going on between the oldest houses in the city until leading to the square next to Iglesia de Santiago (Saint James’ Church), which is full of Jacobean contents, such as the Pilgrim’s Fountain; a gigantic mosaic, possibly the biggest “juego de la oca” (similar to snakes and ladders game); and the huge baroque statue of “Santiago Matamoros”, which dominates the façade of the temple. The current Saint James’ church is from the 16th Century, built over another one, already gone, from the 12th Century.
Rua Vieja will lead you to Barriocepo Street and going this way you will get to the limits of the old town, to the Gate of the Way. Through this gate, oriented to Finisterre, the pilgrims leave Logroño.
After leaving Logroño, you will follow a soil path leading to the wall of the reservoir of La Grajera, where you will enjoy an excellent rest area. Separated from the Way, 15km away from Logroño, you will see the remains of the stone castle of Clavijo, where the battle in which Saint James appeared (riding a white horse) took place.
Then you will have to follow the pilgrim’s path until you see Navarrete in front of you. The way passes over the motorway, where you will find the ruins of “Hospital de San Juan de Acre”. Its windows and the façade are well preserved as they were dismantled stone by stone, at the end of the last century, to be used as the gate for the village’s cemetery.
There, you will be 700 m away from Navarrete. The first street pilgrims find is “Calle de la Cruz” (Cross Street), where you will be able to see a beautiful Romanesque capital that represents two knights fighting. The parish church, dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin, dates from the 16th Century. Its main altarpiece is one of the best Baroque altarpieces in La Rioja. Pottery is the most characteristic craft activity in Navarrete.
External info sources about this route and recommended websites:
Federación Española de Asociaciones del Camino de Santiago
Very useful guide: Camino de Santiago. National Geographic
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