Monastery of Santa Maria de Irache (in Basque: Iratxeko monastery, this spelling being the most commonly used) is a monastery complex located in the town of Ayegui, Navarre in Spain.
Its origins go back to the 8th century and some current buildings keep parts of the 11th century. It was run by the Benedictines.
It is one of the most important monumental complexes in the Comunidad Foral de Navarra, in which the 12th-century Romanesque church, the Plateresque cloister and the Herrerian tower stand out. It is located on the side of the Camino de Santiago, near Estella-Lizarra city.
It is located at the foot of Montejurra and is made up of a set of buildings that have been added over time, which makes them of different styles.
The first documents referring to Irache date back to the year 958.
Bodegas Irache, S.L. is a winery founded in 1891.
The original vineyards were donated to the Monastery of Irache in 1072 by King Sancho IV of Pamplona. The monastery, which also functioned as a pilgrims’ hospital on the Way of Saint James, was closed in the nineteenth century, but the tradition of viticulture continues. The Wine Museum contains over 200 pieces of historical winery equipment and many bottles of wine from famous vintages.
Wine Fountain
In 1991 the company built a wine fountain in one of the walls of the winery which is right on the pilgrims’ route along the Way of Saint James. This spot was already known in the 12th century as a “land of good bread and excellent wine” according to the Codex Calixtinus.
Installations
The winery uses stainless steel vats with temperature control. It currently has twenty-three 70,000 liter vats and nine 25,000 liter vats. The bottling plant has a capacity of 6,000 bottles per hour.
The 6,700 m2 cathedral-like barrel room was inaugurated in 1991, and has a capacity for 10,000 oak barrels. One wall of this room is completely dedicated to holding over 3,000,000 bottles.
Working days
Thursday
8AM–5PM
Friday
8AM–5PM
Saturday
Closed
Sunday
Closed
Monday
8AM–5PM
Tuesday
8AM–5PM
Wednesday
8AM–5PM
How to get to?
- From Pamplona 37 min (42.3 km) via Autovía Camino de Santiago/A-12
- From Madrid 4 hr 25 min (398 km) via A-2
See here Andorra travel guide
See here Pyrenees travel guide
See here France travel guide
See here Spain travel guide
