Santa María la Real de Irache (also Hyrache, or, in

Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous c ...

, Iratxe) is a former

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , found ...

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone ( hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer whic ...

located in the town of Ayegui,

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") , ...

. It dates from the eighth century, although the surviving buildings are later. Adjacent to the monastery is a winery called

Bodegas Irache Bodegas Irache, S.L. is a winery founded in 1891, and located in Ayegui (Navarre, Spain) at the foot of Mount Montejurra, about 2 km from the medieval city of Estella. History The original vineyards were donated to the Monastery of Irache ...

, which continues a tradition of viticulture which dates from monastic times.

History

The monastery is first attested on a 958 document, and also cited in a donation done by King

Sancho I Garces Sancho Garcés I (Basque language, Basque: ''Antso Ia. Gartzez''; c. 860 – 10 December 925), also known as Sancho I, was king of Pamplona from 905 until 925. He was the son of García Jiménez of Pamplona, García Jiménez and was the first kin ...

(10th century). The monastery became a landmark as a hospital for pilgrims en route to Santiago in the Way of Saint James. In 1813, the monastery provided medical cares for the anti-Napoleonic parties, like the one led by Francisco Espoz y Mina. Likewise, during the

Third Carlist War The Third Carlist War ( es, Tercera Guerra Carlista) (1872–1876) was the last Carlist War in Spain. It is sometimes referred to as the "Second Carlist War", as the earlier "Second" War (1847–1849) was smaller in scale and relatively trivial ...

(1872-1876), the Carlists defeated in the Battle of

Montejurra Montejurra in Spanish and Jurramendi in Basque are the names of a mountain in Navarre region (Spain). Each year, it hosts a Carlist celebration in remembrance of the 1873 Battle of Montejurra during the Third Carlist War. In 2004, approximately 1 ...

retreated to Irache in order to get care for their injured soldiers. Irache bore also witness to a decisive conspirational meeting on 15 June 1936 between the

Carlist Carlism ( eu, Karlismo; ca, Carlisme; ; ) is a Traditionalist and Legitimist political movement in Spain aimed at establishing an alternative branch of the Bourbon dynasty – one descended from Don Carlos, Count of Molina (1788–1855) – o ...

leader Manuel Fal Conde and right-wing General Mola appointed to Pamplona in 1936. The initially unlikely alliance took hold and provided the springboard for the successful military rebellion against the Spanish Republic that shook Navarre and Spain altogether.

University

In the sixteenth century the monastery set up a college which became Navarre's first university, the ''Universidad Real de Hyrache''.Irache, primera universidad
''Diario de Navarra'' It became a pontifical university in 1615, and closed in 1824.

Heritage listing and current use

The monastery has been protected as a

monument A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, hist ...

since 1877. In 2007 the buildings, apart from the church, were designated for conversion into a

parador A ''parador'' (), in Spain and other Spanish-speaking countries was an establishment where travelers could seek lodging, and usually, food and drink, similar to an inn. In Spain since 1928, a Parador is a state-owned luxury hotel, usually locate ...

. As a result of the economic crisis, as at 2012 the conversion project was pending. The parador is intended to offer high-quality accommodation to travellers on the Way of St. James. In 2020 the Monastery was used as the setting for the boarding school in the

Amazon Prime Amazon Prime is a paid subscription service from Amazon which is available in various countries and gives users access to additional services otherwise unavailable or available at a premium to other Amazon customers. Services include same, one ...

television series '' The Boarding School: Las Cumbres''.

References

External links

Monasterio de Irache
in the Spanish-language

Auñamendi Encyclopedia The Auñamendi Encyclopedia is the largest encyclopedia of Basque culture and society, with 120,000 articles and more than 67,000 images. History Founded in 1958 by the Estornés Lasa brothers, Bernardo and Mariano. He began publishing in 196 ...

. Irache Hotels in Spain Monasteries in Navarre Buildings and structures in Navarre Defunct universities and colleges in Spain Education in Navarre {{Spain-Christian-monastery-stub

History

University

Heritage listing and current use

See also

References

External links