Nájera, with about 8,300 inhabitants, is a town in La Rioja on the Najerilla river, below cliffs of red sandstone. A stage of the Way of St James, it was in the 10th and 11th centuries the capital of the Kingdom of Navarre, when La Rioja was Navarrese land.
History
The name comes from Arabic and is said to mean "place between the cliffs". Recaptured by the Christians in 923, it became the residence of the kings of Navarre. Legend has it that in 1044 King García Sánchez III, "of Nájera", chasing a partridge while hunting, entered a cave where he found an image of the Virgin with a vase of lilies: there he founded the monastery of Santa María la Real. In 1367 the Battle of Nájera was fought here, during the Castilian civil war.
What to see
- The monastery of Santa María la Real, rebuilt in the 15th century in Gothic style.
- The Virgin's cave, behind the altar.
- The Royal Pantheon, with tombs of the kings and queens of Navarre and Castile.
- The tomb of Doña Blanca of Navarre, a masterpiece of Romanesque sculpture.
- The carved Gothic wooden choir.
- The Knights' Cloister, with plateresque tracery windows.
- The cliffs with artificial caves dug into the sandstone, and the castle ruins.
- The Najerillense Museum and the old town along the river.
Festivals
In early July the Crónicas Najerenses take place, a large theatrical re-enactment with hundreds of locals in medieval costume, in the cloister and streets. The patron saint festivities of San Juan Mártir and San Pedro are in late June.
Around Nájera
- The monasteries of San Millán de la Cogolla, Suso and Yuso, a UNESCO site, where the first words in Castilian were written, the Glosas Emilianenses.
- Santo Domingo de la Calzada, whose cathedral keeps a live cockerel and hen in memory of a miracle.
- Haro and the Rioja wineries.
Getting there
Nájera is about 27 km from Logroño, linked by bus. Pilgrims arrive after a walk of about 30 km from Logroño.