Roncesvalles (Orreaga in Basque) is a place of profound meaning for every single Basque person. Here, in this legendary location, a handful of brave Vascons defeated the Carlomagno army, which had previously ransacked and plundered Pamplona after being unable to conquer Zaragoza.

The large tomb of the Apostle Saint James was discovered in the Iberian Peninsula in the 9th Century. The importance of this discovery saw the start of the Route to Santiago, and Roncesvalles became the first stop of the famous “French Route”.

At the beginning of the 13th Century, King Sancho VII ordered the construction of this Collegiate Church over an ancient Romanesque building as a church for the hospice institution of Roncesvalles, whose aim it was to attend to the Santiago Pilgrims after crossing the Pyrenees.

The construction was built in a French Gothic style, like that of the Nôtre Dame Cathedral in París. It has a basilica floor, divided up into three naves without a crossing, separated by pointed arches. The walls are covered in different rose windows, which provide light, as well as the stain glass windows at the head of the church.
The main altar is presided by the Gothic statue of Santa María de Roncesvalles, a 14th Century French work of art. From the epistle side of the church we enter the cloisters, well known for its Cistercian style. From the cloister we reach the Saint Augustine Gothic Chapel or the ancient 14th Century Chapter House, with the tomb of King Sancho VII the Strong, the monarch’s maces and the battle chains of Navas de Tolosa.

The Collegiate Church also houses the 19th Century museum with some valuable religious pieces: sculptures, canvases, jewels and exquisite gold and silver articles.