Estella - San Miguel Arcángel

On the left bank of the Río Ega a flight of steps goes up to the Mercado Viejo, in which is the church of San Miguel Arcángel, in a style transitional between Romanesque and Gothic. Although at first sight the exterior of the church is plain, its north doorway is one of the finest examples of Romanesque sculpture in Navarre. The door is flanked by five columns on each side, with capitals depicting Christ's birth and childhood and the Massacre of the Innocents; the last two have hunting scenes and plant ornament.

The figural ornament continues on the archivolts, and in the tympanum is a figure of Christ surrounded by the symbols of the Evangelists. Flanking the doorway are two masterpieces of sculpture: on left the Archangel Michael fighting a dragon and Michael and Abraham fighting devils for men's souls, on right the Resurrection. In the north aisle is a fine retablo of Santa Elena (1406).