Sanctuary of San Miguel de Aralar

Few sanctuaries can boast a setting as commanding as that of San Miguel de Excelsis. It stands on the summit of Mount Putregain, 1,265 metres above sea level, in the heart of the Sierra de Aralar and within the municipality of Huarte-Araquil. Its very name says it all: «in excelsis», in the highest, a dedication that refers to the summit where a votive altar once stood, an ara coeli that also helps to explain the place names of the area.

The sacred character of this mountain goes back a very long way. Long before the sanctuary existed, the surroundings were already linked to spiritual beliefs, as the many dolmens scattered across the range bear witness. Added to these are the remains associated with the Roman mansio of Aracaeli, a name that echoes in that of Aralar itself and places this corner of the land on the map of the Empire's communications.

Indeed, the Roman road linking Burdigala, present-day Bordeaux, with Asturica Augusta, Astorga, ran through this district, recorded as Iter XXXIV in the Antonine Itinerary. Along that same route later travelled a branch of the Camino de Santiago that set out from Pompaelo, Pamplona, in the days before the bridges of Puente la Reina, both the Jaca one and the Navarrese one, consolidated the so-called French Way. Climbing up here is, in a sense, following in the footsteps of pilgrims and travellers from other ages.

It is well worth rounding off the visit with a stop at Santa María de Zamarce, on the outskirts of Huarte-Araquil. This former monastery had close ties with the sanctuary and offers a better understanding of the bond between the valley and the summit, between life at the foot of the range and the spiritual centre that watches over the Sakana from on high.