Iglesia de Santa María
Standing at the heart of the old town, the Church of Santa María is one of the finest examples of late-Gothic and Renaissance religious art in all of Navarre, yet it receives a fraction of the visitors that flock to Pamplona. Its star piece — a monumental gilded altarpiece — is genuinely jaw-dropping.
The altarpiece that stops you cold
Carved between 1492 and 1499 by the sculptor Juan de Ancheta and his workshop, the main retablo of Santa María is a towering construction of polychromed wood that fills the entire apse. Art historians rank it among the most important Renaissance altarpieces in northern Spain.
The central panels depict scenes from the life of the Virgin with an emotional expressiveness that feels remarkably modern, and the gilding catches candlelight in a way that no photograph fully captures — you simply have to stand there.
The building itself
The church's exterior is sober Gothic stonework typical of 15th-century Navarre, but step inside and the space opens up into elegant ribbed vaulting that amplifies every whisper. The side chapels contain additional carved tombs and devotional paintings worth a slow circuit.
Mass is still celebrated here regularly, so be respectful of service times and dress modestly. The church is most atmospheric on Sunday mornings when the bells ring across the old town.
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