Museo de Navarra in Pamplona

Pamplona is home to one of the most important museums dedicated to the cultural history of the Navarre region, the Museo de Navarra in Pamplona. It is located in the historic old town of Pamplona, in the street Cuesta de Santo Domingo.

We are standing in front of a beautiful historic façade with a recessed modern entrance door that leads into the museum. The façade, dating from 1556, is the only surviving example of civil Renaissance architecture in Pamplona. The main entrance to the museum interprets a classical triumphal arch and is richly ornamented. The church right next to it now belongs to the museum and is used as an exhibition space.

The Museo de Navarra is located in several historic buildings in the old town of Pamplona, which have been supplemented and linked together by modern extensions. The main building originally housed the Nuestra Señora de la Misericordia (Our Lady of Mercy) Hospital from the 16th century. The façade and the former chapel of this building are still preserved today.

History of the building

After the original hospital was moved to the “Hospital de Navarra” in 1932, the conversion of the building into a museum began in 1952. The Museo de Navarra was founded in 1956 and is run by the Autonomous Community of Navarre.

A modernization and redesign began in 1986 and the opening took place in 1990 in the presence of Queen Doña Sofía. The aim of the refurbishment was to make the museum more attractive to the public. There are now fewer objects on display than before, giving visitors more space to view them. An auditorium, a hall for temporary exhibitions and other facilities were also added.

The exhibition is arranged chronologically and extends over four floors. Unfortunately, the objects are only labeled in Spanish and Basque.

What can you see?

The collection of the Museo de Navarra includes an impressive range of exhibits from different eras and regions.

Most of the museum’s exhibits come from the collections of the Comisión de Monumentos Históricos y Artísticos de Navarra, which began looking after the region’s cultural heritage around 1860. From 1940 onwards, this task was taken over by the Institución Príncipe de Viana, which reports to the government of Navarre.
The task of publicizing Navarre’s heritage is complemented by various events. These include seasonal exhibitions, guided tours of the permanent collection and temporary exhibitions, cultural activities (film series, classical music concerts and conferences) and educational activities for educational institutions and the general public (workshops and theater performances).

Tip:
The museum has a large terrace. It is well worth a visit. There is a large mosaic on one wall and beautiful windows on another. But the best thing is the view of the city and the surrounding area.

Room with three protohistoric steles

We enter the so-called Blue Gallery. Here are three important statue stelae from the period between the late Neolithic (3rd millennium BC) and the Iron Age (3rd century BC).

The stelae are known as the menhir of Soalar and the stelae of Turbil and Traibuenas. They once stood in the valleys of the Baztán, Cidacos and Aragón rivers. This type of carved stone pillar has not yet been sufficiently researched. It is believed that they are commemorative or religious steles that indicate the existence of a chiefdom at that time.

I really like the way it is presented. The lighting makes the room feel very mystical and interesting.

Prehistory and Roman times

Prehistoric objects are exhibited in the basement of the museum, including important finds from prehistory. Of particular note is the Palaeolithic bas-relief on a stone, known as the “Map of Abauntz”.
Here we can also see Roman mosaics, including the mosaic from Andelos with a “Triumph of Bacchus” and the mosaic from the villa of El Ramalete in Tudela. These provide an impressive insight into the Roman history of the region.

The large round mosaic in the middle of the room is really impressive. It is illuminated by a skylight. It’s nice to see the natural coloring of the stones, but the light/shadow interplay is unsuitable for photos.

I was impressed by a headless statue made of stone. What a masterly elaboration of a toga. Every fold and every shadow is just right.

Romanesque and Muslim art

Another highlight of the collection are the Romanesque capitals from the cloister of the predecessor building of Pamplona Cathedral. They are artistically crafted and very detailed.

Islamic art is represented by the arqueta or “caliph’s casket” from the San Salvador de Leyre monastery. It is a masterpiece of Spanish-Muslim art with ivory carvings from the 10th century.

Gothic and Renaissance works

The museum also houses a remarkable collection of Gothic murals and grisaille murals depicting the battles of Emperor Charles V against the Protestants.

The Renaissance works include the preserved façade of the former hospital, which is an outstanding example of Renaissance architecture in Pamplona.

Collection of paintings from the 17th and 18th centuries

The museum’s collection also includes works by artists from Navarre from the 19th century, which offer an insight into the artistic development of the region.

Chapel

At the very end of our tour, when we heard the announcement that the museum was about to close, we were able to take a look inside the former chapel of the Hospital Nuestra Señora de la Misericordia. The entrance is located in the vestibule of the museum building.

The chapel offers excellent acoustic conditions and is therefore also used as a concert hall.

Is it worth a visit?

We really enjoyed the museum. The tour through the cultural history of the region shows some very nice exhibits.
We were lucky enough to be given a leaflet with some information at the entrance. The museum employee was visibly pleased to be able to give us some information in German and marked the “most important” exhibits on the map. However, I would have liked explanations in English, as I had forgotten almost everything after the first room. The advantage of this was that I could just enjoy the art.

Visitor information

Address

Calle Santo Domingo, 47
31001 Pamplona-Iruña