Nájera

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Monastery

Nájera (Basque: Naiara) is a small city located in the "Rioja Alta" district of La Rioja, Spain on the river Najerilla. The site interested the Romans, who built the city of Tritium on the territories that today are the municipalities of Nájera and Tricio. Nájera is a name of Arabic origin, as the town was occupied by Muslims from North Africa.

The town was conquered by Ordoño II of Leon for Navarre in 923. However, it continued to be multi-cultural. For example, in 1142 there was a visit from a French abbot Peter the Venerable. He used his visit to Spain to commission translations of important Islamic works, including the first translation of the Qur'an into a European language, and it has been suggested he met with his four translators at Najera. From the tenth century Nájera had a prosperous Jewish community, which was granted relatively favourable legal status after the Christian conquest.

Nájera was the capital city of the kingdom of Navarre before being conquered by Castile in 1054 after the battle of Atapuerca. From the mid eleventh century, until 1170, Nájera was the see of the Diocese of Calahorra (currently, "Diocese of Calahorra and La Calzada-Logroño"). The church of Santa María la Real was erected in 1052 under orders of the Navarre king, don Sancho, to serve as the new diocesan cathedral The monastery of Santa María la Real, built in the eleventh century, is important as the burial-place of Spanish kings, in which respect it has been compared to El Escorial. The Black Prince fought in the Battle of Nájera (Navarette) in 1367 on behalf of Pedro of Castile. Nájera is a stopping point on the Way of St James (Camino de Santiago in Spanish).