Meoz: San Pedro, Santa Colomba and Trails

Meoz draws attention to the parish church of San Pedro. It has medieval origins and contains a wooden seated figure of Our Lady of Meoz with the Christ Child. The figure retains traces of its original coloring. Together with the church itself, this detail provides insight into the site's art-historical features.

Culture

San Pedro is located in the upper part of Meoz and is surrounded by several houses. Several works were carried out at the parish church in the 17th century; the sculptor Juan de Huici worked on the high altar. The church interior includes a stone baptismal font with a hemispherical bowl and a square base with red polychrome decoration. San Pedro retains original traces of polychromy, including reddish bands above some masonry joints. The holy water font resembles a kaiku, a traditional wooden vessel from mountainous Navarre that was formerly used in cheese production. Thus, medieval origins, 17th-century works, sculptural design, and visible painted decoration come together in one place. The various structural and furnishing elements reveal several layers: architectural history, sculpture, liturgical furnishings, and preserved painted decoration stand side by side in the same church interior. Their differences can be compared directly through attentive observation.

Trails

The San Román–La Nevera route uses the Camino de Meoz on its return journey. The Axarimendia route descends to the Camino de Meoz and then returns along a trail running parallel to the Irati River. The Potxes de Gongolaz route passes through Meoz and then returns to Aoiz. The three routes therefore differ in their itineraries and in the places or landscape features they connect. For personal day planning, these options can be considered separately: the Camino de Meoz appears on two routes, while the third connects Meoz with the return to Aoiz.

More destinations

Other local pages available for you to choose from are Cirauqui, Alsasua, Tajonar, Orikain, Viana, Esnoz, Metauten and Cascante.

Landscape

Outside Meoz, the Hermitage of Santa Colomba stands on a hill surrounded by small hills, offering wide views over the valley and the surrounding mountains. The hermitage can be reached on foot from the local access road to Meoz. This means that the elevated location, the view over the valley, and access from the road stand out as distinct features of this destination.

History

Based on its architectural features, the Hermitage of Santa Colomba is dated to the second half of the 12th century. Beside its entrance is an anthropomorphically shaped stone grave with a lid decorated with a cross. The hermitage features a tympanum with a Trinity chrismon and remnants of the original reddish polychromy. A procession to the Hermitage of Santa Colomba is one of the penitential pilgrimages rooted in Navarre. The architecture, stone grave, tympanum, and procession thus represent different historical and religious associations of this place.

For the higher-level travel overview: Navarre.