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The Aragonese Way from Somport-Jaca
The Northern Way from Bayonne, France
The English Way from Ferrol
The Portuguese Way from Porto
The Mozarab Way from Seville

My building is the Cathedral of Logroño. It is a very attractive church built in the 15th century over a little monastery. The cathedral had many changes in the 17th century and 18th century. It was built in a Gothic style and Baroque style. The designer of this incredible church is anonymous but it is believed that many people designed it during the many repairs and changes.

It is gothic because we can visit and see his big occidental’s facade. It has got two monumentals towers, this towers are the iconic of the city of Logroño. The church is form three naves, one is the central and the two others are sides. Along the walls sides are spread the chapels of the church.

The lay-out is very simple, with a latin-cross shape. Three naves and one more in each side with chapel (5 at last) end in a simple head with three apses. The crossing was covered with starry vaults from the 15th century.

It has got eight cilindric pillars that finalize opening to form a complicated ribbed vault. The cathedral contains in the entrance a retable facade that decorates the entrance of the church. 
The retable has got many figures.

María Sánchez Labrador 2ESO B

It has no cult because today it is a museum.  It was built in 12th century and it was finished between 1180-1190.

It is the most representative of the romanesque-mudejar leonese art. It sets in Sahagun, landmark of Saint James´ Way, probably, its main core. It can consider San Tirso, in fact, the prototype church for the way. This was an example for the following buildings in Sahagun.

Its lay-out is rectangular of three naves finished off semicircular apse in the central. The reinforcements are made with four outer buttress, extended in brick. Today, naves are covered with a plain wood roof, not with vault, except the dome that is above the tower and over the main apse.

It has three apses, the big one that is in the central nave (north) is the result of restoration in the 20th mid-century.

The tower, rectangular and made of bricks too, is magnificent raising over straight stretch of the centre apse and no over the transept .

It is built by two sections, its firt section is very solid to support the weight of the superior estructure and its second section is open with lot of windows. 

Kiara Alcón Macías.
2º Eso A

My stage on the Saint James of Compostela is number 27 between Sarria and Portomarín. For many walkers, Sarría is kilometer 0 of his pilgrimage to Compostela last 100 kilometers, the minimum distance that you have to walk on foot to get to Compostela.

The stage does not have much difficulty. Affordable kilometers and pleasant landscapes of forests with oaks and chestnuts next to small meadows, with frequent but moderate differences.

The medieval city of Portomarín is located on the Saint James' Way on the right bank of the Miño river. In 1963 it disappeared under the waters of the Belesar reservoir and the buildings with the highest historical value were moved to the modern city, as it was the church of San Juan or San Nicolás, moved stone by stone to its new location at the top of the mount of Christ in the middle of the new town that was inaugurated in 1966.

In the 12th century, the Military Order of the Knights of Saint James built this temple of great and high walls and with battlements, which gave it the appearance of a fortress. The square lay-out of the church, its straight forms and the few decorative elements, makes clear that the church is of Romanesque origin. The side walls are occupied by buttresses joined together by semicircular arches. The nave is covered wit a late-Romanesque barrel vault with pointed arches.

A very important element in this church is its large rose window on the main facade, which gives light to the interior of the same, apart from the small side windows. We also emphasizes the big and lonely apse, circular spaces destined by the priest to drive the prayer and the mass. 

If you make the way during the autumn months, you will be in luck, since you will see the old town that the rest of the year is flooded by the water of the reservoir.

By: Lola Ramiro Macarro 2º ESO B.

My building is Saint Martin of Tour, which is located in Tours, in the center of the valley of the river Loire, department Indre and Loire. It is a basilica which was ordered to build this building in the 5^th century by the bishop Pepert. Sadly, it was burnt in 558 and in 853 and in 903 was burnt again by the Normans. During that years it was one of the five most visited churches by the pilgrims.  In 1562 the reliquary of Saint Martin was burnt by Protestant religious supporters during the Religious War. During the years of the French Revolution (1793) was used as stables. This building was demolished in 1797 because the vaults had not held the roof because someone had stolen the chains which hold it. The current basilica was built in 1884. The basilica is built in Romanesque style.

It is Romanesque because we can see inside barrel vaults made with half pointed arches, they were replaced between 1175-1180. The basilica has got a long and nave and two narrow, but also long aisles. Its plant is a Latin cross. The basilica has got two towers: the clock tower and Charlemagne´s tower. There is a circular dome. Inside of the dome, there is a picture of Saint Martin of Tours. There are small windows. In the upper part of the columns is the face of St. Martin. 

Marta Jiménez Martín 2º ESO A

 

My building is the catedral of Jaca. It is the first Romanesque cathedral built in Aragón. Construction began in 1077 during the reign of Sancho Ramírez, and finished in 1130. The cathedral has a generally Romanesque structure, although several elements are in Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque styles. The style called ajedrezado jaqués – a type of blocked chessboard pattern – was first used.

The church has a basilical plan with a nave and two aisles, a crossing and three apses.  Only one of the current apses is original.

It is Romanesque because inside you can see  thick walls,small windows, round arches,a barrel vault, sturdy pillars and columns with richly decorated capitels and paintings in a Byzantine style. It’s not lightful.
Today, most of the vaults are in a Gothic shape because the church was rebuilt in 15th century. It is covered with starry and complicated rib vaults.

Outside you can see a large tower, butresses  to support the weight of the thick walls and two entrances with beautiful tympanus.

Celia Pizarro Rodríguez
 2º ESO B

The plan of the church is a basilical, with three naves and three apses. Today, there is only one nave, others were lost. The entrance is decorate with a round arch and  is decorate with a Pantocrator and the  apostle over this.

A very strong and high tower over the nave had been built in arabic-mudejar style.

David Fernández barrios
2ºESO A

My stage is from Puente La Reina to Estella. It is a mountainous stage with some rivers like Arga and Salado. There are also cereal crops. In Puente La Reina’s fauna there are some animals like the wild boar, the roe deer or the mountain cat. In the flora we can see conifers and black poplars. 

Puente La Reina is located in Navarra and it has a population of about 2,800 inhabitants. Until the 19^th century the official language there was the Euskera. Now Spanish and Euskera are spoken in Puente La Reina. 
In Puente La Reina the Franco-Navarrese route from Roncesvalles and the Franco-Aragonese route from Somport mix together in a single way, the Royal French way.

My building is the Romanesque bridge over river Arga, in Puente La Reina. It was built in the 11^th century. Its length is 110 meters. 

It is a Romanesque bridge because it has semicircular archs and because the century it was built. 

Some other places to visit in Puente La Reina are: the Santiago’s Parish Church, the Church of the Crucifix, the Church of San Pedro or the Hermitage of San Martín de Gomacín. 

 
Lucas Mena Corrales 2º ESO B

Its style is Romanesque because we can find  things such as barred vaults, round arches and buttresses connected to thick walls.

In the enclosure of the castle, we can divide it into two parts: the north part, from the 12th century, and the rest, built along the 15th century. In past times the castle was sourrounded by a moat.

Inside there is a group of fortifications from the 12th of Templar origin: the remains of a barbican in the access to a courtyard, part of the walkway, a tower that had three floors, the Malvecino tower, from the 15th century, and other tower with a pointed arch door., of great artistic value.

The northwest facade constitutes a running parapet which ends in the Moclín tower, with irregular hexagonal plant. Under it a new walkway was opened. It defended the underground that joined the castle with a well, located in a keep.

The main cover is formed by two towers that surround a big rounded arch.

Before entering the courtyard there is a defensive gate house that goes to the Cabrera tower, in which point stands a semicircular tower. The wall continues to the north, finding another squared tower before going to the Malvecino tower.

In the courtyard, there are some things, like the Gallery of Azulejos.

Pilar Pérez Núñez
2º ESO B

My stage is from Nájera to Santo Domingo de la Calzada. It's the stage number 9. It’s a short stage with only 20,5 kilometres, where we  will cross the landcapes of cereals like wheat and letting away the grapevines.

Santo Domingo was a hermit and wanted repaired the Saint James’ way near the river Oja. He built a bridge, a church, hostels for pilgrims and more issues.

The construction of the cathedral in a romanesque style, started in 1158 by the master Garçion, that desinged a cathedral with a latin cross plant of three naves with ambulatory. It’s organized like a tradicional pilgrim’s church.

In the romanesque head, the reliefs of the capitals and pillars that surround the presbytery highlight, where there is a Christ Savior or Pantocrator, and the Assumption of the Virgin. Today, all vaults have been rebuilt and were made in a Gothic style, in a starry shape from the 15th century.

Outside the cathedral, we can see robusts buttress, tradicional of the romanesque style.

In the southern part of the transept there is a Gothic henhouse that remembers the legend of the miracle of the Saint on an unjust drowning.

 

Other important place for visit in this city is The Exempt Tower. Is a big baroque tower with sixty-nine metres; is the tallest tower in La Rioja. The tower is isolated of the cathedral for having a more solid terrain. Other importan place more is the lookout ’Alto de Corporales’, where you can see all the city  in full; with its river Oja, its expanses, and its mountains near the Rioja Alta.

By: María Ramiro Macarro. 2ºESO B

Samos Monastery was built in the 6th century in Lugo, Galicia. During many years, this monastery suffered many fires and sackings.  In this centre, many bishops and important religious people studied, for example: Benito Jerónimo Feijo. The monastery became the headquarters of order of the Benedictines. 

Before being destroyed, the Church was designed in a Baroque style with Neo-gothic stairs designed by ‘’Juan Monleón’’ and the refectory was made in a Renaissance style. 
Only remains Gothic the cloister and its walkways, made in the 15th century. 

Sandra Moreno González 2º ESO B

Toulouse – Canfranc Stage 

My stage is from Toulouse to Canfranc in Spain. It is not a really easy stage because we reach the Pyrenees mountain ranges with very high peaks.Tthe landscape is very irregular, with lot of complicated roads and climbing up many mountains. 

My building is the Cathedral of Toulouse. It is a very impressive church. This church it is a little different because was built over another church from the third century. Then, Isarn  (a bishop) in the XIII century ordered to rebuilt the church. Besides, this church has the nave and the aisles were made in a romanesque style. probably, m the biggest and largest pilgrimage church ever built. 

To hold or support all those vaults, architects reinforced walls with large and heavy buttresses made of stone. That means that no big windows could be opened to enlight the church. 

The head of the church represents the spirit of the Romanesque style: a large choir, surrounded by a deambulatory with many chapels or apse to give pray to rich people.

The nave is made in a romanesque style because it has a fantastic barrel vault with semicircular arches. 

Sabrina Guerrero Guerrero 
2ºA

and one of its most monumental towns. Not in vain was the

capital of the NajeraPamplona kingdom in the tenth and

eleventh centuries, reaching its maximum splendor at the

time of Sancho Garcés III, the Bigger.

Within this rich heritage of Nájera stands out especially the

magnificent Monastery of Saint Maria of Real.

This monastery was founded in 1052 by the Navarrese king

García IV of Nájera, attached to the cave where, according to tradition, he found a set of objects: an image of the Virgin Mary with the Child, a bell and a vase with lilies.

The church is truly magnificent and does not diminish if compared to many of the Spanish cathedral buildings of the time.

The cloister of the monastery is called "Cloister of the Knights" because it was the place chosen by many nobles who paid with their wealth to the monastery to have a pious place for their burial.

This cloister is a masterpiece of architecture and sculpture

of the sixteenth century, being completed in 1528.

It has its four pandas covered with late gothic vaults of complex ribs. The most beautiful are the pointed arches of the end of the Gothic that shelter delicate columns and

plateresque traceries. All of them are different and in the vegetal and geometric framework that presides over them. We also see animals and angels.

In the cloister we can find several monumental doors. One of them is called San Juan and is the one that gives access to the temple from the cloister. It is a Renaissance structure with plateresque decoration.

Another is found in the eastern panda of the cloister and is

known as the Puerta de los Reyes, carrying two shields: one

from Castilla y León and the other from Navarra. It gave access to the old refectory and the sacristy. It is of Elizabethan Gothic style with vain delimited by carpaneles arches.

Daniel Colmenero 2º ESO A