Introduction
Puente de la Riena translates to Bridge of the Queen. It was built over the River Arga as a mode of crossing between Rio Arga and Camino. The town has a significant religious influence, which can be noted through its quantity of churches, wonderful examples being the Iglesia del Crucifijo (Church of the Crucifix), the Iglesia de San Pedro (Church of Saint Peter) and the Iglesia de Santiago (Church of Saint John). All three were built generally around the same period (12th century). The Iglesia de Santiago retains its captivating design of Romanesque and Moorish influence, certainly boasting a variety of detail that shows the pride of the town.
One of the main reasons for the strong religious presence is because Puente de la Reina acted as a meeting point for pilgrims heading west towards Santiago de Compostela. The bridge itself is particularly impressive, with its medieval styled 6 arches that hav provided a lot of attention for the town whilst serving such a simple yet important service.
There is another church, the Iglesia de San Pedro, which has an interesting story regarding the origins of its Statue of Lady of Txori. It is believed that before it was moved to the church from the bridge in 1834 and it had been said that a txori bird cleaned her face each day.
