Day 4 - Puente la Reina to Estella: Entering the wine growing region of Spain...

 We are coming close to La Rioja, Spain's wine-growing region. From here on out we will travel though not only vineyards by fields of grains. It is a beautiful region. One of my favorite views is of Cirauqui. This town sits on a hill. It is very dramatic to come up over a rise and there it is...

I was especially excited to see the portal of a very important church in Cirauqui, the Church of San Roman that dates from the 12th century. It is one of a few important examples of mudejar architecture along the Camino. The front door exhibits the Moorish influence with its polylobular arch. It is hard to grasp the detail in the doorway with its elaborately crafted archivolts and intriguing narrative capitals that sit on each column.

Look closely at the tope of the arch and you will see the Chrismon or Chi Roh that represents the first two letters in Christ's name in Greek. On either side are the letters Alpha and Omega. Just above it is a star, then the Agnus Dei (Lamb of God) and above that the figure of the Triumphant Christ holding a Cross.

As you leave Cirauqui you walk down an original Roman calzada or path that leads to a Roman bridge. From there the Roman path continues for several kilometers.

Another exciting visit was to the Church of San Miguel in Estella. What makes this 12th-century church so intriguing are the capitals that top the jambs on either side of the portal. Starting from the left you see, in chronological order, events beginning with the Annunciation through to the Slaughter of the Innocents by Herod.

So, starting from left to right...

The Annunciation. To the far right is the Dream of Joseph where he appears to be asleep. This image is intended to represent the dream he had that he should not "put Mary away" and should care for her.

The left side of the capital is the Visitation when Mary greets Elizabeth. From the center to the right is the birth of Christ. At the corner is the midwife holding Mary's head with Joseph in the background. In early Christian representations of Mary in the Nativity she always has a calm, relaxed look on her face. According to tradition she did not suffer the pains of childbirth which was given to Eve. 

To the left an angel hovers over the Christ Child in his manger bed while the ox and the ass care for the child. To the right of center an angel appears to the shepherds to announce the birth of Christ.

This is the Epiphany when the Magi visit the Virgin and Child. Again, tucked back in the far right corner is Joseph in the "sleeping" posture that suggests revelation and inspiration.

The Presentation of the Christ Child in the Temple with Simeon and Ana standing at the corner of the capital.

This is the Escape into Egypt, Again, we see Joseph in a "revelatory" posture. You can see a small angel touching his head.

King Herod is told by the scholars of the court where the Christ Child was to be born. Remember in the story that the three Magi take a different path to return to their homes to avoid another encounter with Herod.

Herod's soldiers go about the Massacre of the Innocents.

On the final two capitals are representations of young men with spears, swords and bows entangled in what appears to be vines. They attack small dragons that bite at their legs. These two scenes have been interpreted as an allegory of the struggle between good and evil, or the defense of humankind against the malevolent snares of life.