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The first rest
Pilgrims rest here first after crossing the Pyrenees
Since the Middle Ages the collegiate church of Roncesvalles has been a favorite resting place for pilgrims on the French Way, because it is the first place to rest after crossing the French Pyrenees. Every year thousands of pilgrims begin their way to Santiago de Compostela at Roncesvalles.
The church
A former pilgrim's hospice keeps relics of Roland
The church was built at the end of the twelfth and beginning of the thirteenth centuries, and was once a pilgrim's hospice. The oldest building is the Romanesque Chapel of Sancti Spiritus, or Charlemagne's Silo. The small collegiate church contains several curious relics associated with Roland.
The walls
Charlemagne ordered the walls of Pamplona torn down in 778
In 778 Charlemagne marched into Spain. Before leaving, he decided to further secure his hold on Basque territory. He gave orders to tear down the walls of the Basque capital Iruña, possibly fearing that it could be used for future conflicts. The Basque attack that followed was in retaliation for the destruction of Pamplona's walls.
The song
The battle became the oldest surviving major work of French literature
The battle is recounted in the 11th century The Song of Roland, the oldest surviving major work of French literature, and in Orlando Furioso. Some of the written works change and exaggerate events. Roncesvalles is famous in history and legend, and the battle was the only significant defeat of Charlemagne's military career.
The rearguard
Charlemagne's rearguard was cut off and wiped out, Roland with it
A large force of Basques ambushed part of Charlemagne's army in the high mountain pass as it retreated across the Pyrenees. The rearguard of Frankish lords was cut off, stood its ground, and was wiped out. Among those killed was Roland, a Frankish commander, whose death raised him into legend.
In this plan
It is one of the stops on this plan.
More stories from this trip idea
The words are a retelling of the Wikipedia article Roncesvalles and the Wikipedia article Battle of Roncevaux Pass, and are shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. They are checked against those articles, and a fact that is not in them is left out.