Saint Mary of Eunate

Saint Mary of Eunate stands isolated, as it was not erected in or near a village, but in the middle of fields. It is surrounded by arches, that gave this place the name, as (according to the tourist office) "Eunate" means "one hundred doors" in Basque.

Though, there is not much information about the origins of this wonderful, octogonal church, it has probably been an important place for the pilgrims since the 12th century, as from here to Puente la Reina, where the "Camino Aragonés" / "Via Tolosana" joins the busy "Camino Francés" is only a short walk.

The floorplan of Saint Mary of Eunate is surely inspired by the "Church of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem". Such churches (eg Tomar, Estrella, Pisa..) are often connected to the Knights Templar, but there no proof, that they have ever been in this area. The earliest documented reference is from 1487 and just mentions the "Virgin of Eunate", but at that time, the church was already centuries old.

These are marks on the pillars outside. These may be a mason's mark or graffiti. I tend to see them as graffiti, depicting handcuffs. They were a symbol for "prisoned". One of the important halts on the "Via Lemovicensis" is Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat, where the relics of Saint Leonard are venerated. He was the patron saint for prisoners and one of his symbols are this kind of handcuffs.