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Roncesvalles
«Roncesvalles es el punto de inicio habitual del Camino francés.»Roncesvalles is the usual starting point of the French Way.
Roncesvalles is a small monastic centre at the foot of the mountain pass leading into France, at an altitude of nine hundred metres. In 778, Charlemagne's rearguard was destroyed here, an episode from which the Chanson de Roland was born, and today it is the first Spanish stop on the French Way.
Did you know
Charlemagne was defeated here.
Here in 778, Charlemagne's army suffered a famous and devastating defeat at the hands of the Basques.
How they talk in Roncesvalles
«Orreaga» is the Basque name for Roncesvalles. «Peregrino», «albergue» and «credencial» are everyday words here, more so than in almost any other Navarrese town.
auzolan
Community or neighborhood work done together. Basque term for a practical collaboration in which the inhabitants contribute to the good of the neighborhood or the town.
Everyday life in Roncesvalles
The first stage of the «Camino Francés»
It is the first Spanish stage of the French Way, and every morning hundreds of people set off at dawn after sleeping in the monastery hostel: they leave almost in the dark.
«Mañana salimos a las seis.» — Tomorrow we leave at six.
The «bendición del peregrino» every evening
Every evening in the collegiate church, pilgrims are blessed by naming the countries they come from: it lasts a short time, and in summer the church is full of people in flip-flops.
«La misa del peregrino es a las ocho.» — The pilgrim's mass is at eight.
Thirty inhabitants and the fog
The village has a few dozen permanent residents, at one thousand metres, and for most of the year it is inside a cloud: in winter the snow closes the pass.
What to eat in Roncesvalles
Ajoarriero
Shredded salt cod with garlic, tomato, potatoes and peppers, slow-cooked in a pan.
Chistorra
Thin sausage with paprika, roasted and served in bread.
Cuajada
Set sheep's milk, served in a small earthenware pot with honey and walnuts.
Festivals in Roncesvalles
Romerías a Roncesvalles
between May and June
The villages of the valley go up to the pass in procession with tunics and crosses, as has been done for centuries.
What to see in Roncesvalles
Real Colegiata de Santa María
Pure French Gothic, brought here by masters from beyond the Alps: there is almost nothing like it in Spain.
Silo de Carlomagno
The ossuary where tradition says the fallen of the 778 battle were collected.
Puerto de Ibañeta
The mountain pass at one thousand metres where the road crosses the Pyrenees, with the chapel and the bell.
Albergue de peregrinos
The pilgrims' hospital that has been operating continuously since 1132.
Where Roncesvalles comes from
Roland died here
778
The battle
Charlemagne's rearguard is destroyed at the passes: the Chanson de Roland was born from that.
1132
The hospital
The pilgrims' hospital is founded, operating continuously for nine centuries.
13th century
The collegiate church
The church is built in French Gothic, very rare in Spain.
Today
The Way
It is the first Spanish stage of the French Way: thousands of people set off from here every year.
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