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The Castle of Xavier ( eu, Xabierko gaztelua; es, Castillo de Javier) is located on a hill in the town of Xavier (
Navarre Navarre (; es, Navarra ; eu, Nafarroa ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre ( es, Comunidad Foral de Navarra, links=no ; eu, Nafarroako Foru Komunitatea, links=no ), is a foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, ...
,
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...
), 52 km east of
Pamplona Pamplona (; eu, Iruña or ), historically also known as Pampeluna in English, is the capital city of the Chartered Community of Navarre, in Spain. It is also the third-largest city in the greater Basque cultural region. Lying at near above ...
and 7 km east of
Sangüesa Sangüesa (Basque: ''Zangoza'') is a city in Navarre, Spain, 44.5 kilometers from Pamplona. It lies close to the River Aragon and in 2007 had a population of 5,128. It is located on the Way of Saint James. It has been an important stopping poi ...
. Built in the 10th century, this castle was the birthplace and childhood home of Saint
Francis Xavier Francis Xavier (born Francisco de Jasso y Azpilicueta; Latin: ''Franciscus Xaverius''; Basque: ''Frantzisko Xabierkoa''; French: ''François Xavier''; Spanish: ''Francisco Javier''; Portuguese: ''Francisco Xavier''; 7 April 15063 December ...
, son of the Lords of Xavier, hence his surname. The town of Xavier belonged to the Kingdom of Navarre which was always its own kingdom, never belonging to France.


Etymology

The basque name Xabier derives from the long form ''Etxeberri'' or 'new house', evolving thereafter into ''Xavier'' in Navarro-Aragonese and ''Javier'' in Spanish.


Construction

Consists of three buildings with different antiquity. The "Tower of the Kristo Santua" is the main fortified building and chapel, holding an interesting Late Gothic crucifix and a series of murals depicting the dance of the death, unique in Spain. The "Tower of Homage", call also the ''San Miguel'' Tower, is the oldest in the castle. It also harbors the museum dedicated to the life of the saint. In its foundations Muslim vestiges have been unveiled, possibly dating from the 10th century. In the 11th century, the first enclosure that sheltered the early surround rooms. In the 13th century, two polygonal bodies and two flanking towers were added in all four cardinal directions. In the 1890s the castle was donated by its owner, Duquesa de Villahermosa, to the
Jesuit Order , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...
, which intended to turn it into a missionary centre. They decided to build an adjacent basilica; it was designed by the local architect Angel Goicoechea and completed by the Navarrese contractor, Blas Morte.


History

The castle and village of Xavier were won by
Sancho VII of Navarre Sancho VII ( eu, Antso VII.a; 11577 April 1234) called the Strong ( eu, Azkarra, es, el Fuerte) was King of Navarre from 1194 until his death in 1234. He was the son and heir of Sancho VI, whom he followed as the second king to hold the ti ...
in approximately 1223. An Aragonese noble got a loan of 9,000 sols from the King of Navarre, with the latter receiving Xavier as a warranty. The Aragonese noble could not afford to pay in due time, so the stronghold became property of Sancho. It was not the first time nor the last, since Sancho VII was one of the major lenders to the
Crown of Aragon The Crown of Aragon ( , ) an, Corona d'Aragón ; ca, Corona d'Aragó, , , ; es, Corona de Aragón ; la, Corona Aragonum . was a composite monarchy ruled by one king, originated by the dynastic union of the Kingdom of Aragon and the County of B ...
, and took over a number of villages and castles in return for his unpaid loans that notably strengthed of his border with
Aragon Aragon ( , ; Spanish and an, Aragón ; ca, Aragó ) is an autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces (from north to sou ...
:
Escó Escó, or in local Aragonese Esco, is an almost deserted village in the region of Jacetania, province of Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain, located next to the Yesa Reservoir. Esco, along with Sigüés, Ruesta, and Tiermas were largely abandoned in 19 ...
,
Peña Peña, meaning "rocky outcrop" or "rocky summit" in the Spanish language (Aragonese: ''Penya'', Catalan: ''Penya''). It may refer to: Mountains *Peña Montañesa, a mountain in the Pre-Pyrenees, Aragon, Spain *Peña de los Enamorados, a mountain ...
, Petilla,
Gallur Gallur (population 2,899) is a small town and municipality in the Spanish Autonomical Region of Aragón, province of Zaragoza Zaragoza, also known in English as Saragossa,''Encyclopædia Britannica'"Zaragoza (conventional Saragossa)" is the ca ...
,
Trasmoz Trasmoz is a village in the province of Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain, with an estimated population of 96. The town has given rise to numerous legends about witches and sabbaths, some of which were recreated by the romantic writer Gustavo Adolfo Bécq ...
,
Sádaba Sádaba (in Aragonese: Sadaba) is a municipality located in the province of Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Pl ...
, etc. In 1236 the castle was handed over by King Theobald I to Adán de Sada. Before the
Spanish conquest of Iberian Navarre The Spanish conquest of the Iberian part of Navarre was initiated by Ferdinand II of Aragon and completed by his grandson and successor Charles V in a series of military campaigns lasting from 1512 to 1524. Ferdinand was both the king of Aragon a ...
, the castle belonged to Maria Azpilikueta, native of Baztan Valley, married to Joanes Jatsukoa, parents, amongst others, of
Francis Xavier Francis Xavier (born Francisco de Jasso y Azpilicueta; Latin: ''Franciscus Xaverius''; Basque: ''Frantzisko Xabierkoa''; French: ''François Xavier''; Spanish: ''Francisco Javier''; Portuguese: ''Francisco Xavier''; 7 April 15063 December ...
, whose family defended the independence of the kingdom. For this reason, the Spanish regent
Cardinal Cisneros Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **'' Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, t ...
ordered the complete demolition of the castle in 1516, but only held a topping of the strong part of it:Iñaki Sagredo Garde. ''"Navarre. Castles which defended the Kingdom"''. 2006 * All the walls around it which were trimmed with battlements and embrasures were knocked down. * The pit was filled in equal to the field. * Two large portals were destroyed. * Two round towers were demolished. * The drawbridge and, inside the wall, the garden and the rabbit
hutch Hutch may refer to: Places * Hutch, Kentucky, an unincorporated community located in Bell County, Kentucky, United States * Hutchinson, Kansas ("Hutch"), a city in Kansas, United States * Hutchinson, Minnesota ("Hutch"), a city in Minnesota, U ...
were razed. * The Tower of Homage to San Miguel was reduced by half. After successive inheritance, the ownership of the castle, along with the rest of the town of Xavier, went to the House of Villahermosa. The Castle of Xavier is the target of a massive pilgrimage in early March, in honor of the patron saint of Navarre.


See also

*
List of Jesuit sites This list includes past and present buildings, facilities and institutions associated with the Society of Jesus. In each country, sites are listed in chronological order of start of Jesuit association. Nearly all these sites have bee ...


References

{{Coord, 42, 35, 39, N, 1, 12, 57, W, region:ES-NA_type:landmark_source:kolossus-dewiki, display=title Castles in Navarre Buildings and structures completed in the 10th century