History of Estella-Lizarra
The existence of a French settlement area, favoured the dissemination of the city with a more benevolent character than other zones of Navarre and Castille, So, the monk Aymeric Picaud, -who was attributed the writer of the guide in the “Codex Calixtinus”-, after some hard diatribes against the “barbarians and impious people of Navarre”, felt happy with his arrival to Estella-Lizarra. As well as other French people, he felt at home, because of the similar manners and language. All had pleasant epithets: “fertile in good bread, optimum wine, meat and fish, and full of every kind of happiness”. Even the water of the river Ega is “sweet, healthy and good”, especially after his experience in the near village Lorca, where its steed died poisoned after drinking water of the salty river after being deceived by the locals, who subsequently proceeded to skin the dead horses.
But not only Aymeric treated cordially Estella-Lizarra, also the monk of the Cluny Order “Pedro el Venerable” said:
“There is in the fields of Spain a famous and noble castle that because of its adequate situation and close to fertile fields and numerous population who inhabits there, I can say not for nothing, it is called Estella”.
The process of expansion of the city had finished at the beginning of the 13th century. The city was getting prosperous thanks to the different convents as “Nuestra Señora de Rocamador”, “Santa María de Huerta”, an Augustinians convent, another of St. Clare´s order, Dominicans, monks of Gradmont, Franciscans and the Mercy´s order. As well, in the city, the hospitals and inns get multiplied, in order to welcome the pilgrims. Everything mentored by the presence of a castle formed by three strong structures called Zalatambor, Atalaya and Belmecher. After the loss of Alava in 1200, it acquired high military functions as a neuralgic bastion in a considerable section of the border with Castille. With the king Teobaldo I, Estella-Lizarra was the capital of one of the districts.