Villamayor of Monjardín (675 m) is situated geographically on the south flank of the mountain Monjardín, (890 m). The village is 8 Km from Estella and a small road of 700 m joins it with the N-111 Pamplona – Logroño highway. It is bordered to the north by Labeaga and Igúzquiza, to the south with Luquin, and to the west by Abaigar, Olejua and Etayo. It pertains to the "San Esteban Valley of the Sunlight" and has a population of 127 habitants (year 2000).
The Way of Saint James crosses directly through the village, as it passes between the towns of Azqueta and Los Arcos at 1 and 10 Km respectively.
Its layout is similar to a pentagon, the only appreciable entity of population being within the center of the village. The village is freely aligned and almost all of it lies in a smooth declination, between hillside and plain.
The hydrography is limited to the Good and Salty creeks.
Its climate is healthy, and though the village faces the sun,
it is protected on the other hand from the cold winds of the north by the sheltering
mountain of Monjardin.
The most important streets are: Mayor, Santa María, San Andrés and Calvario, also there is the Plaza of the Jurisdictions which enjoys a large space, and which is accompanied by the Town Hall and its pediment. All of this enclosure is supported by a great wall of masonry that crosses the entire space. Saint Andrews church stands out in the town.
Villamayor is growing with new construction and new houses, some of which are inhabited only on the weekends.
The town has a medical consultant's office. Industrial activity consists of a winery. In the hospitality chapter there is a bar, and lodging for pilgrims of the Way of Saint James. The village is visited every year by thousands of people who walk the pilgrimage road on the way to Santiago de Campostella.
The habitants dedicate their work to agriculture and to the
industry of Estella and its surroundings.
2.1 Origin and Middle Ages
The two components of the romance toponym, and the fact that
it did not appear in documentation before the 13th century, allow us to suspect
that the foundation or re-population was due to the actions of King Sancho the
Strong in the last years of the 12th century. At that time the Romanesque church
of Saint Andrews, the local parish, was constructed.
In the year 1237 King Teobaldo the 1st declared the village royal property together with other villages in the valley and of "La Berrueza". In 1263 Teobaldo II enlarged his jurisdictions. In 1298 Villamayor disputed with the king the property of Mount Larranecozabala and, years later, in 1320 the monarch ceded the patron of the church to the bishop of Pamplona at the time that the latter was ceding the village to the king. This was repeated in 1346 until in 1494 it was made royal property forever.
It is also known that in the year 1324 the governor Alfonso of Robray reduced the tributes of his subjects allowing them free access to the pasture of the king under the condition that they were not to cut firewood.
The village had in 1350 a population of 3 neighbors or "fuegos," among them were García Périz, mason, García Périz, butcher, and Pero Miguel, hospitalero. The news of the existence of a hospital in Villamayor was not known. It would have been linked to the Way of Saint James and to the service to the pilgrims.
In 1366 there were 49 contributing laborers.
An Ark of Mercy existed, with a deposit or fund of 150 "robos"
(unit of measure) of wheat, distributed annually among the neighboring farmers
for the sowing, with the obligation to restore in the summer the quantity loaned,
with an additional amount added in interest. It remained active until the middle
of the 19th century.
Immediately after the conquest of the kingdom of Navarra by the Duke of Alba in 1515, the Counts of Lerín exercised jurisdiction over the village, naming the lieutenants of the mayor until the municipal reforms of 1835.
2.2 Carlist Wars
Villamayor, as an obligated step between Estella and Logroño, became involved in two important war maneuvers. "Arroniz's Action" in 1835, stands out in the Carlist wars. On one side the liberal generals Almada and Gurrea, on the other Zumalacárregui. Almada stayed in Arroniz and Zumalacárregui between Urbiola and Villamayor. The result, between alternating struggles, the Carlists prevailed and the Liberals were repulsed. The following year, in 1836, the Carlists occupied Monjardín to defend the road.
Also the battle of Montejurra stands out, 7th of November 1873, in which General Moriones who led the Liberal troops, was encamped in Los Arcos. He was coming from Logroño to gain control of Montejurra and Monjardín and afterwards Estella, a Carlist hotspot. In the first hours he passed the gorge of Cogullo with 17,000 men (9000 of another regiment), and directed the attack towards Barbarin, where the Carlists retreated towards the mountain. In command of Barbarin, the Liberals received orders to follow the road and attack Luquin where Basque battalions and natives of Alava slowed them although at the end the village was reduced to a painful state. On the other hand Ruiz Dana took control of Urbiola, that had been held by the Carlists. Before the strong Liberal advance, the Carlists regrouped and were victorious in a hard battle within Ayarza. Don Carlos left Estella and kept vigil over the battle from Villamayor. His troops blocked the passage of the Liberals towards Estella between Urbiola and Villamayor, this ultimate attack with continuos cannons, one shot falling at the feet of Carlos VII. In the night the Liberals gave up the battle as lost and retreated to Los Arcos.
2.3 19th and 20th centuries
At the beginning of the 20th century, Villamayor was described by Julio Altadill; there is a municipal house with an incomplete school, the parish of Saint Andrews, solid, capable, clean, very agreeable, with its tall and slender tower, beautiful atrium, good altars and its own parson; two fountains, one inside and one outside the settlement; electricity, stone and plaster quarries, a round estate called Fields of Below (Campo de Abajo), attractive passage of Lauzat-Arana, irrigation that is fed from Tejería spring, oil mill, pottery, rural bank, good stores, lots of hunting, officer, game keeper, jail, pediment and scant commerce. Fertile fields with much, good and varied productions of wine and cereals well cultivated in ample and cleared plains. Altadill does not explain the alarming population decline between the years 1900 and 1920 when many young people emigrated to Estella, Pamplona, Logroño and America, (the population diminished from 269 to 180 habitants).
In a site within the place that today carries its name, there was a great textile mill.
It pertained to the Valley of Saint Esteban until it disintegrated in 1846.
On the 18th of February of 1908, Villamayor officially the
name Villamayor de Monjardín. The new name was well received by the neighbors.
The former building that fulfilled the function of school and jail is today the Town Hall, restored in 1987; it consists of two floors: On the first there is the meeting lounge, the archives, an office, and the bathrooms. On the second there is a store. On the ground floor there is a bar, a place independent from the rest of the building.
The municipal pediment was rebuilt and improved in 1991.
Inside the urban area there are two fountains: "Tiny Fountain" and "Fountain of the Oil press", the last owes its name to the basins of an old oil press of important consideration and that now realizes the function as a fountain. It was constructed in 1993 in the same site where another fountain was made in 1948.
But the fountain that draws much interest is the Fountain of the Moors, a precious Romanesque cistern of the 12th century with a subterranean rectangular floor and stairs descending to the spring. An impressionable vault starts from the interior, forming two pointed arches. This curious edifice that serves to refresh all of the pilgrims that pass by on the camino is located 200 meters from the town.
It was restored by the Institution of the Prince of Viana in
1991.
Saint Andrew's church is a Romanesque building with some of the pre-gothic structure dating to the 12th century. It consists of a single nave composed of various sections ending in an ample front where there is a window. The vault uses as supports a few strong columns with attached semicolumns that are finished with capitals of vegetables. It also has other methods of support such as an arch, sheafs, and exterior buttresses.
A very important element of this church is the Romanesque entry with its archivolts, monogram of Christ, jambs and a few precious capitals; one of them represents the battle between the two knights (Charlemagne and a Navarran Prince). The door exhibits well-preserved medieval iron-works. Its beauty does not reside in its size, a little fine according to the experts, but in the proportions of its forms.
The sacristy is of the same maker as the door, works of the
stone-cutter Francisco de Ibarra, for which his widow charged in 1727. In the
mentioned sacristy, it is necessary to mention pieces of great value of metallurgy
of the 17th century: relics, chalices and a few baroque crismeras. In ornaments,
a red chasuble of the 18th century stands out, and another white one bordered
in gold, of the 19th century. A good-sized statue of the patron Saint Andrews
stands out, taking its place over the altarpiece.
The altarpiece is a rich Romanesque work of the 17th century realized by the Estellan sculptor Pedro de Troas, that is found in the parish of El Salvador de Pamplona, where there appears the inscription "Altar of the parish of Villamayor Monjardín".
This church was restored during the years 1973 - 1984.
The high and slender tower that can be seen for kilometres is a baroque work of the 18th century, although the stone-cutter Pedro de Urbieta, neighbor of Arellano had started it before the year 1625.
But the greatest work that this parish guards is the Cross of Monjardín.
6. Processional Cross of Monjardín..
The cross is a Romanesque piece of silversmithing that may date back even to the 10th century in relation with the King Sancho Garcés. It is said that the cross appeared in the middle of a battle, in the moment of the decisive assault. It fits, that this hard and dark wooden cross that was later laminated in silver, might have been carried that day by the same Sancho Garcés. It became the object of special veneration among the people of the area, which made concrete very soon the adornments that they put upon it.
The Cross has dimensions of 75 cm x 48 cm. On one face is reflected the crucified Christ and on the other the Mystical Lamb guarding with its front legs the book of the Gospel.
The cross is one of few realizations of the metalwork of the Roman style that remain in the region. It has a fluer-de-lis form, relatively frequent, as demonstrated by another nearby crucifix (Torres del Río), though in this case it is a question of a piece of imagery. Particularly interesting are the figures under middle point arches crowned with architectures, since it is a topic very common in Romanesque art, appearing both in marble and stone sculpture. Also in a concrete case, the Virgin of Villatuerta (today with unknown whereabouts) in whose throne appears this same theme, its representation coincides exactly with the formula of Monjardín, that is seems that the same maker of the crucifix also realized the silver lamination of this Virgin.
But the central element is certainly the figure of Christ, in the rigid and outlined anatomy of the body, Romanesque characteristics, contrasting with the strong Gothic expressiveness of the face (where the pathos of the moment becomes masterfully condensed).
On the reverse, the central oval is occupied by the Eucharistic Lamb, perfectly conserved. It has over its head a cruciform halo, guarding with its front legs the Book, and with one of its hind legs it supports a "galardete" or Roman standard on which is written XI – P. The shaft of the standard ends in a cross. Below the lower petal and on each face, in a gold medal, is written "Pantocrator" (God, King of the Universe).
As for its chronology it is important to keep in mind the symbiosis of the
Roman features, like the ones mentioned, and the royal crown of Christ, with
other Gothic details, such as the mentioned expressiveness and the use of only
one nail for the feet. Therefore, it seems to be correct to attribute to it
a date of around 1200, at a moment of transition between the two styles. The
work was done at the time at which this artistic trade followed very closely
that of marble. With certain Castilian influence, but without which can be said,
with minimum foundation, that it was not made in Navarra. In the court of a
king such as Sancho the Great and in those of his son and grandson, there were
metallurgists who might have made the original plates of this cross.
Experts affirm before the restoration of the Cross and judging by the photographs that have been conserved, the ends that were well worm-eaten, today illuminate fluer-de-lyss ends that answer well enough for the original version. The head was before much more deeply sunken then now, it was raised and adorned with a discreet crown of Christ the King. In the vertical tree of the cross two fittings of triple branches have been reconstructed, that faithfully follow the same structure that supported the original sheets.
It has been exhibited in both the Universal Exposition of Sevilla and it was
for some time in the Diocesan Museum of Pamplona.
In Villamayor of Monjardín there are two hermitages: The hermitage of Calvary is a small and simple rectangular building that is closed the entire year, although it can be seen through the door to give alms and to pray. It is open on Good Friday for the passage of the procession.
The other hermitage is San Esteban or the Hermitage of the Holy Cross.
Within Villamayor, one finds what was once the village of Adarreta in the year
1320, that was depopulated ten years later by the plague. Villamayor then took
control of it by paying the king a tribute of ten Carlist Sterlings a year.
8. Festivals, traditions, and customs.
The patron saint of this locality is Saint Andrews the Apostle and the festivals
begin September 14.
Festivals are also celebrated on May 3. The pilgrimages to Monjardín are May 3 and September 14 in honor of the Holy Cross. The appetizers of the pilgrimages are financed by the Town Hall (September 14) and the Fraternity of the Vera Cruz (May 3). This fraternity was founded about 1700. There is also a Fraternity of Our Lady of the Rosary.
Another festival that is celebrated is the Catholic Kings Cavalcade, or "Los Reyes".
8.1 Almost forgotten traditions
Aurora: A baroque bell purchased in 1880 by Faustino Galdeano and a manuscript book, these are testaments of the beginnings of the town of Villamayor, as told by local writer Blanca Urabayen.
Carnaval: Lardero Thursday was led by the children asking at the homes in the
village to make a snack for later.
Romería: Villamayor was coming in rogation to Saint Gregory Ostiense
(Sorlada), April 23, day of San George. Also the head of Saint Gregory visited
Villamayor.
Corpus Christi (Body of Christ): In the altars of Corpus Christi it was a custom
to place wreaths to be blessed. In nearby villages like Etayo, Olejua, Urbiola
or Arroniz, the wreaths were hung for their blessings on the top ends of the
standards of the fraternities.
Saint Andrews: Formerly the Patron's holiday was celebrated November 30, where
a great bonfire was lit in Saint Andrew's neighborhood with the assistance of
all the neighbors. There was also a bonfire on the day of the Immaculate Conception
(December 8).
Saint Silvester: In the area around Estella –as described by Jimeno Jurío-
there were many songs sung the day of Saint Silvester. In Monjardín they
were sung to "San Silvestre" .
9. Demographics.
The population has evolved in the following manner: 268 habitants in 1860, 239 in 1888, 269 in 1900, 200 in 1910, 180 in 1920, 169 in 1940, 187 in 1950, 144 in 1960, 119 in 1970, 105 in 1980, 115 in 1991, 116 in 1992 and 119 in 1999.
As for causes of the important demographic decrease, Altadill, has said that
between the years 1900 to 1920, a great emigration of young people occurred
from Estella, Pamplona, and Logroño to America. Also during the years
1950-1970 a strong rural emigration took place throughout Navarra.
The current trend is towards a stabilization in the number of habitants.
10. Fraternity of the "Vera Cruz".
The 2nd account book of the fraternity dates back to the year 1870, the Prior
for that year being D. León Galdeano. At that time the the quotas were
collected in wheat that the fraternity later sold at market price. That year
205 "reales fuertes" and 10 "maravedís" (both currencies
in use at the time) were gathered, the value of 17 "robos" (1 robo
= 28.13 litres) of wheat, also the quotas of five new members: Claudio Mendaza,
Dominica López, Segundo Urabain, Agustina Orquín and Melchor Ayucar,
and fines to brother fraternities.
Curiously, the following year it is known that Segundo Urabain and his wife Agustina Orquín were admitted as members without having reached the age of 24 years, for which their money was returned to them, such as stated in the 7th Chapter.
The expenses consisted of five squares of wax, two axes, candles, a book, the sermon of the mandate entrusted to the chaplain D. Demetrio Osés, 16 table masses and wine for four days: the food that was consumed the day of Holy Thursday, and of the festivals of the Cross of May and September in Monjardín. Additionally the expenses included the taco of those who took the steps in the procession following custom.
Today there are nearly 200 fraternity members.
In continuation, we review the list of Priors of the Fraternity from 1870 until now.
1870 Leon Galdeano
1871 Celestino Martínez
1872 Narciso Eguílaz
1873 Faustino Galdeano
1874 Fermín Luzuriaga
1875 Eusebio Soto
1876 Francisco Luzuriaga
1877 Atanasio Ayucar
1878 Francisco Berrueta
1879 Fermín Segura
1880 Miguel Garralda
1881 Narciso Eguílaz
1882 Bernardo Arana
1883 Natalio Remírez
1884 Ramos Lana
1885 Apolinario Luquin
1886 José María Soto
1887 Narciso Eguílaz
1888 Fermín Segura
1889 Víctor Martínez
1890 Francisco Berrueta
1891 Eusebio Soto
1892 Joaquín San José
1893 Norberto Urabain
1894 Saturnino Segura
1895 Pedro López
1896 Angel Gaviria
1897 Roque Barbarin
1898 Carlos González
1899 Juan Ruiz
1900 Fermín Segura
1901 Matías Galdeano
1902 José María Soto
1903 Apolinar Luquin
1904 Víctor Martínez
1905 Matías Galdeano
1906 José María Soto
1907 Pedro López de Dicastillo
1908 Roque Barbarin
1909 Víctor del Villar
1910 Apolinar Luquin
1911 Carlos González
1912 Angel Gaviria
1913 José María Soto
1914 Víctor del Villar
1915 Pedro López de Dicastillo
1916 Matías Galdeano
1917 Braulio Mendoza
1918 Gregorio Goñi
1919 Severiano Martínez
1920 Norberto Pérez
1921 Florentino Ruiz
1922 Pedro López de Dicastillo
1923 José María Soto
1924 Tomás Luquin
1925 Clemente Díaz
1926 Severiano Martínez
1927 Matías Galdeano
1928 Florián Luzuriaga
1929 Florentino Ruiz
1930 José María Soto
1931 Tomás Luquin
1932 Julián Soto
1933 Clemente Díaz
1934 Juan Barbarin
1935 Severiano Martínez
1936 Tomás Luquin
1937 Veremundo Landa
1938 Julián Soto
1939 Florentino Ruiz
1940 Tomás Luquin
1941 Veremundo Landa
1942 Julián Soto
1943 Juan Barbarin
1944 Angel García
1945 Secundino Soto
1946 Severiano Martínez
1947 Severiano San Martín
1948 Veremundo Landa
1949 Tomás Luquin
1950 Dámaso Ayucar
1951 Gregorio Soto
1952 Secundino Soto
1953 Fortunato López
1954 Santiago del Villar
1955 Benito San Martín
1956 Eugenio Yoldi
1957 Severiano San Martín
1958 Secundino Soto
1959 Tomás Yoldi
1960 Eugenio Barbarin
1961 Javier Ajona
1962 Fortunato López
1963 Santiago del Villar
1964 Severiano San Martín
1965 Secundino Soto
1966 Eugenio Barbarin
1967 Emiliano Yoldi
1968 Fortunato López de Dicastillo
1969 Santiago del Villar
1970 Secundino Soto
1971 Luis López de Dicastillo
1972 Gregorio Soto
1973 Román Landa
1974 Fortunato López de Dicastillo
1975 Severiano San Martín
1976 Secundino Soto
1977 Valeriano Goñi
1978 Tomás Yoldi
1979 Carmelo San Martín
1980 Javier Ajona
1981 Angel María Alcoz
1982 Julián Soto
1983 Valeriano Goñi
1984 Pedro López de Dicastillo
1985 Tomás Yoldi
1986 Pedro Mª Gil
1987 Julián Soto
1988 Carmelo San Martín
1989 Angel Cruz Alegría
1990 Ignacio Soto
1991 Víctor del Villar
1992 José María Díaz
1993 Pedro López de Dicastillo
1994 Valeriano Goñi
1995 Jesús Soto
1996 Eugenio Barbarin
1997 Arturo Soto
1998 Isidro Barbarin
1999 Elena Soto
2000 Mª Mar Soto
2001 Mª José Yoldi
1870 Leon Galdeano
1871 Celestino Martínez
1872 narcissus Eguílaz
1873 Faustino Galdeano
1874 Fermín Luzuriaga
1875 Eusebio Soto
1876 Francisco Luzuriaga
1877 Atanasio Ayucar
1878 Francisco Berrueta
1879 Fermín Segura
1880 Michael Garralda
1881 narcissus Eguílaz
1882 Bernardo Arana
1883 Natalio Remírez
1884 Ramos Lana
1885 Apolinario Luquin
1886 Jose Maria Soto
1887 narcissus Eguílaz
1888 Fermín Segura
1889 Víctor Martínez
1890 Francisco Berrueta
1891 Eusebio Soto
1892 Joaquín San José
1893 Norberto Urabain
Saturnine 1894 Sure
1895 Pedro Lopez
1896 Angel Gaviria
1897 Roque Barbarin
1898 Carlos Gonzalez
1899 Juan Ruiz
1900 Fermín Segura
1901 Matías Galdeano
1902 Jose Maria Soto
1903 Apolinar Luquin
1904 Víctor Martínez
1905 Matías Galdeano
1906 Jose Maria Soto
1907 Pedro Lopez de Dicastillo
1908 Roque Barbarin
1909 Víctor of the Village
1910 Apolinar Luquin
1911 Carlos Gonzalez
1912 Angel Gaviria
1913 Jose Maria Soto
1914 Víctor of the Village
1915 Pedro Lopez de Dicastillo
1916 Matías Galdeano
1917 Braulio Mendoza
1918 Gregorio Goñi
1919 Severiano Martínez
1920 Norberto Perez
1921 Florentino Ruiz
1922 Pedro Lopez de Dicastillo
1923 Jose Maria Soto
1924 Tomás Luquin
1925 Clemente Díaz
1926 Severiano Martínez
1927 Matías Galdeano
1928 Florián Luzuriaga
1929 Florentino Ruiz
1930 Jose Maria Soto
1931 Tomás Luquin
1932 Julián Soto
1933 Clemente Díaz
1934 Juan Barbarin
1935 Severiano Martínez
1936 Tomás Luquin
1937 Veremundo Landa
1938 Julián Soto
1939 Florentino Ruiz
1940 Tomás Luquin
1941 Veremundo Landa
1942 Julián Soto
1943 Juan Barbarin
1944 Angel García
1945 Secundino Soto
1946 Severiano Martínez
1947 Severiano San Martín
1948 Veremundo Landa
1949 Tomás Luquin
1950 Dámaso Ayucar
1951 Gregorio Soto
1952 Secundino Soto
1953 Fortunato Lopez
1954 Santiago of the Village
1955 Benito San Martín
1956 Eugenio Yoldi
1957 Severiano San Martín
1958 Secundino Soto
1959 Tomás Yoldi
1960 Eugenio Barbarin
1961 Javier Ajona
1962 Fortunato Lopez
1963 Santiago of the Village
1964 Severiano San Martín
1965 Secundino Soto
1966 Eugenio Barbarin
1967 Emiliano Yoldi
1968 Fortunato Lopez de Dicastillo
1969 Santiago of the Village
1970 Secundino Soto
1971 Luis Lopez de Dicastillo
1972 Gregorio Soto
1973 Roman Landa
1974 Fortunato Lopez de Dicastillo
1975 Severiano San Martín
1976 Secundino Soto
1977 Valeriano Goñi
1978 Tomás Yoldi
1979 Carmelo San Martín
1980 Javier Ajona
1981 Angel Maria Alcoz
1982 Julián Soto
1983 Valeriano Goñi
1984 Pedro Lopez de Dicastillo
1985 Tomás Yoldi
1986 Pedro M ª Gil
1987 Julián Soto
1988 Carmelo San Martín
1989 Angel Cruz Alegría
1990 Ignacio Soto
1991 Víctor of the Village
1992 Jose Maria Díaz
1993 Pedro Lopez de Dicastillo
1994 Valeriano Goñi
1995 Jesus Soto
1996 Eugenio Barbarin
1997 Arturo Soto
1998 Isidro Barbarin
1999 Elena Soto
2000 M ª Mar Soto
2001 M ª Jose Yoldi