The six-arched pilgrim bridge reflected in the River Arga

Christianity

Gares

Puente la Reina

“A bridge where footsteps from many roads become one”

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Photo: José Luis Filpo Cabana · CC BY 3.0

Scenes

The Romanesque stone bridge laid down for pilgrimsQUIM70 · CC BY-SA 3.0
The sculpted doorway of the Church of Santiago, where pilgrims once passedJosé Luis Filpo Cabana · CC BY-SA 4.0

Meaning

A six-arched stone bridge rests low over the River Arga, and the roads from all across France gather here into a single way flowing west.

Tradition tells that a stone bridge was built in a queen's name so that medieval pilgrims could cross the river, and the town takes its name from that 'Queen's Bridge.' Near here, the several pilgrim roads out of France join into the one Camino Francés.

Field notes

Location
Navarre · Spain · N42.7° · W1.8°
Best time
Early morning and dusk, when the light lies long across the bridge.
Getting there
Reached by following the Camino west from Pamplona.
Etiquette
On the old bridge, give way to pilgrims passing through.

Sources

  • · UNESCO World Heritage
  • · Encyclopaedia Britannica
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