The silhouette of the mountain Monte Mendaur, one of the most emblematic peaks of the Navarre Pre-Pyrenees rises on the horizon with the precision of a natural pyramid, crowned by the white outline of the Trinity Hermitage. Ascending its slopes is to undertake a journey rewarded with breathtaking panoramas of these mountains and with placing a foot in a place steeped in legends and traditions that date back a long time.
An Iconic Summit
Situated in the Malerreka valley, between Sunbilla and Ituren, Mendaur is a popular hiking destination, with well-traveled routes from towns such as Sunbilla or Elgorriaga. With the hermitage standing out atop its summit of 1,131 meters above sea level, it is a spiritual beacon that watches over the Malerreka and Cinco Villas valleys, where the green of the forests blends with the blue of the Cantabrian Sea on clear days.
The path to Mendaur’s summit begins long before the slope becomes steep. It typically starts from the calm villages such as Sunbilla or Elgorriaga, where the murmur of the Bidasoa river sets the initial rhythm. As we move into its foothills, we are enveloped by a mantle of beech and oaks that filter the light, creating a play of shadows that seems to guard the mountain’s secrets. The air here is different, smelling of dark earth, of fresh ferns, and of that humidity characteristic of northern Navarre that keeps life in a state of perpetual exuberance.
As height is gained, the forest gives way to pastures where cattle graze with enviable slowness. It is in this stretch that the rock mass of Mendaur reveals its true magnitude. The final ascent, zigzagging and demanding, requires a total communion with the terrain. Each step on the brown rock is a reminder of the untamed geology of the area. However, fatigue dissipates upon reaching the crest; there, the view expands toward the horizon, reminding us of our small scale in the face of the majesty of Navarra’s relief.
Echoes of Tradition
Crowning the summit sits the hermitage of the Holy Trinity, a sober construction that seems to spring from the very rock. It is not a temple of luxury, but a shelter. Its stone walls, whitewashed to a bright white that shines under the northern sun, have heard the supplications of thousands of mountaineers and pilgrims. But beyond its architectural or religious value, the hermitage is the keeper of one of the most singular and romantic traditions of the Basque-Navarre mountains. The legend, handed down from generation to generation among the valley’s homesteads, states that that person who seeks love must fulfill an ancestral ritual, consisting of reaching the summit carrying a stone – or picking one up near the hermitage – and casting it with faith into the void or placing it on the heaps, sending a signal to the future.
