Cabanillas: Culture, Starry Skies and Holiday Apartments in Navarre

Cabanillas can be discovered through the Trujal de la Casa de Belver: it is considered the only “Trujal de sangre” of its kind in Navarre and a “jewel of Navarre’s pre-industrial heritage”. In 2006, it was classified as a Bien de Interés Cultural. The trujal, the two churches, the Acequia del Ebro, the Corredor Verde and the Mirador Starlight present Cabanillas from different perspectives. In this way, culture, water management, cycling, walking, seasonal cuisine and stargazing can be viewed as distinct focal points.

Culture and History

The Church of San Juan de Jerusalén was home to Hospitaller monks who cared for pilgrims. Its Romanesque apse features slender columns and semicircular windows. The single-nave building also has a domed front, which was returned to its original position after a complete restoration.

The parish church of Our Lady of the Assumption has a Baroque appearance and preserves sacred furnishings from different periods. These include altarpieces and devotional figures commissioned successively between the 16th and 18th centuries.

Free guided tours in Cabanillas include the Romanesque church of the Order of San Juan de Jerusalén and the Trujal de la Casa de Belver. The history of water management also includes the irrigation channel known at the time as the Acequia del Ebro: Cabanillas and Fustiñana, together with the Hospitaller Order, built the first three leguas of this channel.

You can also visit the pages on Miranda De Arga, Sangüesa, Metauten, Zilbeti, Ollo, Barillas, Arróniz and Erro.

Nature and Trails

From Cabanillas, visitors can explore the Bardenas Reales by bicycle. The section of the Corredor Verde del Ebro near Cabanillas can be used for walking or cycling. The different activity options make it easy to compare planning a bicycle excursion with taking a walk.

The Club BTT Cabanillas organises several popular cycling events each year. Cabanillas is also part of the Corredor Verde del Ebro’s Starlight network, which offers astronomical signage, interpretive elements, and leisure and educational activities.

The Mirador Starlight de Cabanillas is located beside the canal at the entrance to the municipality. Because of the quality and darkness of the night sky, it is suitable for stargazing.

Festivals and Cuisine

The Fiestas de San Roque take place in Cabanillas from 15 to 21 August. They include orchestras, bull-related events, communal meals and various performances.

A special form of festive tradition is the “captura del Judas”: in Cabanillas, it is staged with real people instead of the usual puppet.

The traditional cuisine of Cabanillas focuses on seasonal vegetables such as artichokes, asparagus and borage. The Día de la Alcachofa y el Espárrago includes demonstrations of peeling and preparing asparagus and artichokes.

The combination of these themes makes Cabanillas a versatile destination: sacred buildings and water management are followed by nature activities along the Corredor Verde del Ebro and in the Bardenas Reales; these are complemented by the Starlight views of the night sky, seasonal produce and the festive events in August. The focal points remain clearly distinguishable from one another.

For the broader travel overview: Navarre.