Lorca to Estella – 5 Sep 2022

Short day for today – planned to do 8.5km then stopping at Estella for a rest day – to allow our souls and spirits to catch up with our bodies.

Once again we left early – on the road by 7 am

Soon after leaving Lorca we came across an old church which allowed us to catch our breathe – the church appears old and dis-used

We soon arrived Villatuerta and enjoyed a coffee, hot choc and pastries for breakfast when leaving Vilkatuerta there is a monument honoring pilgrims

It was not long after some wheat field walking

that we reached the outskirts of Estella and the church of the holy sepulchure

The following is from the plaque outside the church: “The building of this Romanesque structure began in the last third of the 12t century, and was conceived as a church with three naves, containing a semicircular apse
in the Gospel nave. In the 14t century, now in the Gothic period, work continued with a fresh project of five-sided apses in the central and Epistle naves, as well as theBremarkable façade. By 1821 most of the building was a
virtual ruin, the Gospel nave was saved, but the other two were dismantled and the materials sold. In 1881, owing to the lack of inhabitants in the parish, it was
dissolved and absorbed into the parish of San Pedro laBRúa.
Its magnificent Gothic portico was built around 1340. It is flanked in the lower section by the now uncovered sculptures of Saint James and a bishop, and in the upper
section by a gallery of niches housing the apostles. The splayed arch. of the portico is composed of twelve pointed archivolts that rest on an unbroken band of decorated capitals.
The tympanum is divided into three horizontal sections that depict scenes from the Passion and Resurrection of Christ. The narration begins in the lowest section with
the Last Supper, which is characterised by the symmetry of its protagonists, broken only by Saint John, who is seen to be leaning on Jesus. Of particular interest is the angle of the table, which allows us to contemplate the tableware. The account continues in the uppermost
section with the Crucifixion, in which Mary and Saint John particularly stand out, together with the soldiers and thieves who are on either side. The story concludes in the middle section, where, from left to right, we bear
witness to the visit of the Three Marys to the tomb, Jesus’ descent into hell and the apparition of the risen
Christ before Mary Magdalene. Below the lintel, acting as corbels, we see two figures identified as Jews.

We walked through to a pedestrian bridge over the gently flowing river then over …

Then into the old part of the town and found our hostal – hostal Alda -(delightful & modern)

After a lunch of paella at Monjardin restaurant before check in

After lunch we checked in and dropped off bags – explored town

Supper we joined friends met at Orisson or near there for drinks and tapas – Peter & Bob, Michel, Monette, Jack, Billy & Regina ( & jukes and Barry)

All in all – a lovely day