The complex of the Castle/Palace in Olite is an extraordinary sight, and part of the complex includes a church, and the Parador! You really need to visit the castle several times so this is just a taste of what can be found.
Read more: The Castle/Palace in OliteThe Castle of Olite
The Castle/Palace of the Kings of Navarre in Olite dominates this small Mediaeval town, and part of the building has been converted to an extraordinary Parador. It was built over a 13th century fortress, which itself was built over a Roman fortification. The Castle was the seat of the kings until Navarre was conquered by Castile in 1512.
The building was badly damaged by a fire, caused by the Spanish during the Napoleonic invasion to prevent the French troops from occupying the site. It has been restored but much has been lost.
The New Palace
The New Palace was built mainly in the 15th century.
And of course there were large gardens which occupied the site of the orchards of the Monastery of San Francisco. The Monastery can be seen from the castle, across the road surrounding the town.
Towers are everwhere on this buildings! The towers below are nos.13 and 14 on the plan above. The core of the palace was the Great Tower (no.1 on the plan above) and associated rooms, built in the early 1400s
The Tower of the Gate of Fenero (no.12 on the plan above) was one of the four original entrances into the town. The name comes from ‘feno’, or hay meadow which would have been outside the walls. The Tower of the Four Winds is on the left. (There is more information about the Castle in the brochure which can be downloaded.)
The Old Palace
Today this, no.16 above, is the Parador of Olite, the Old Palace whose appearance dates back to the 13th century. It was comfortable but very different from the Parador of Sos, or that of Calahorra.
The Church of Santa Maria la Real
The church dates from the 12th-14th centuries and has one of the most important Gothic facades in Navarre.
You step into the gloom and silence – this is a Romanesque/Gothic church! – and then you see the altarpiece.
The altarpiece of 1528 is stunning, the last documented work of Pedro Aponte (1502-30).
Simple beauty, and the remains of wall paintings.
There are some beautiful contemporary stained glass windows which were installed in 1998.
The Church of Santa Maria is very simple, and incredibly peaceful – a haven surrounded by tourists and visitors, albeit very well behaved visitors.
The Castle/Palace in Olite and the walls of the town give an interesting insight into the structure and feel of a Mediaeval town, and of course staying in the Parador is part of that pleasure. A separate post will take you round the walls!