Fifty metres from our albergue, in the San Román street, a pilgrims hospital existed. Today this historical stone building, which belongs to the city, is in the process of rehabilitation. It’s projected to become a museum and have some rooms for lectures, school, sports and cultural activities.

Municipal archives establish that this old pilgrim’s hospital was available to pilgrims at least as far back as 1572, when it was decreed that the building should have “enough, clean beds in the house for the passers-by, as well as Straw for the horses and mules”, as well as the “prohibition to place any beds on the floor”.

Besides the Church of “Santa Catalina” from the XIIIth century, another one of its historial heritages is to be found just in front of our albergue: the Fortress-Church of “San Román”, from around the year 1200. This church, along with the one of “Santiago el Mayor” from Puente la Reina and the one of “San Pedro de la Rua” in Estella, are the only churches of the Way of Saint James with a big, muslim-influenced, multi-lobed arch in its door-way.

You may also be interested to know that in our neighboring church, among other stone-carved representations, a mermaid can be found in the doorway frame.

Cirauqui and its surroundings were colonized by the Romans. Proof of this comes from the pottery and other ceramic pieces that have been unearthed, as well as from the vestiges of the Roman road and Roman bridge, both of which form part of today’s Camino path.

Currently Cirauqui is a modern town of about 500 inhabitants which offers all necessary basic services and which preserves its history with pride in its heritage, culture and tradition of winemaking.