Author: Thom

This is a look down Calle Mayor – essentially Main Street – in Puente La Reina. Here our plucky pilgrim band is trying to find an albergue. There are several in town, but they were largely not recommended or else full. The narrow little street is mostly lined with ecclesial buildings, then shops, then bars and cafés. At the very […]

Our day’s destination was the town of Puente La Reina, a name which means “Bridge of the Queen”. More on that in later days. The town is jam-packed with churches and other ecclesial buildings. The building on the left in this photo is a seminary, and the building on the right is a church – one of at least three […]

Here we are all adjusting our packs after saying our goodbyes to San Guillermo and leaving the church of San Juan Bautista de Obanos. This lovely archway, with the coat of arms of the monastery of Roncesvalles, leads out of the little plaza in front of the church. From here the Camino wends it way out of town and towards […]

In this long shot of the church interior, you can get some idea of how it all comes together, as well as a sense of scale. It’s an odd church, but beautiful in a contemporary way that does no injury to traditional church design. Francine is provided for scale. If you’d like to see more photos of this church, check […]

The art found throughout the parish church of San Juan Bautista de Obanos is unlike most of what you find in Spain, which tends to be a thick layer of Baroque poured over a base coat of Gothic or Romanesque. This church was built and furnished in the early and mid 1910s, and much of it is informed by Art […]

Yesterday, I told the story of the “Mystery of Obanos” – the tale of the martyrdoms of Saint Felicia and her brother Saint Guillermo. Meet Saint Guillermo. The sacristan allowed us to hold and examine the reliquary. This was a surreal and moving experience. I have never before touched the bones of a martyr. For clarification, here’s the back of […]

Here you can see the high altar, a stark and colourful contrast to the white kitchen tile that covers the interior of the church. Now might be a good time to mention the “Mystery of Obanos”. This story is told in the form of a mystery play performed by the whole town every other year. This is the (very) brief […]

As we walked through Obanos, we passed by the parish church of San Juan Bautista. It was locked up, as it was on my last Camino. But then – wonder of wonders! – the sacristan came by and opened the church for us. Although it looks medieval – and indeed the portico arches and some of the decorative stonework are […]

After walking downhill for a bit, there’s a uphill climb and then Obanos begins abruptly, rather like Muruzábal. You can see the ramparts of the town to the right and a rather bizarre modernist house to the left. And, of course, that one lamppost where the sidewalk begins. Date: 03 April 2016 Place: Obanos (Navarra, Spain) Our current position may […]

On my previous Camino, one of the most intensely spiritual moments of my life occurred in the tiny Templar Church of Santa María de Eunate. This church is located in the middle of an agricultural field, and getting there is a detour of about two kilometers from the Camino. Unfortunately, when we arrived at the start of the detour in […]