Puente la Reina - Iglesia de Santiago

Puente la Reina ( aka "Gares") was an important place in medieval times, as here the "Camino Aragonés" joined the "Camino Francés". The pilgrims having crossed the Pyrenees via the Somport met their collegues, who had used the Roncevaux Pass.

A bridge over the Rio Arga gave the name to the town. It was built within the 11th century, commissioned either by Doña Mayor, wife of Sancho III, or by Doña Estefanía, wife of García III of Navarra.

The "Iglesia de Santiago" is located on the Rua Mayor, right in the center of Puente la Reina. The church was built within the 12th century, but rebuilt about 3 centuries later and so mixed Romanesque and Gothic architecture. The masterly carved late Romanesque portal shows Moorish influence with its decorated polylobed arch. The five unfortunately very weathered archivolts once had biblical scenes taken from the Nativity and the Genesis. The large statue to the left is not Samson, what was my first idea. It is a fighting scene. The fighter to the left behind a shield kills his opponent with a sword. To the right St. James (nimbus) accompanies a pilgrim (staff) . maybe...

I was puzzled by the heads on top of the pillars, as the faces are rough and the expressions are unhappy. They might be "trophies" of the Reconquista, similar to portals in Oloron-Sainte-Marie and Morlaàs, both places as well part of the Camino.