This castle was built in the Tenth Century; it was reformed in the Twelve and Thirteen Centuries and later in the Fifteenth Century. The castle was partially destroyed in the year 1516 and this was ordered by Cardinal Cisneros, due to the continuous uprisings taking place there.
In the year 1223 the castle belonged to the king of Aragon and in 1236 it went over to the hands of the king of Navarra. In the 16th Century, father San Francisco Javier owned the place and San Francisco Javier was born here, that was a cofounder together with San Ignacio de Loyola, from the Company of Jesus.
Javier is a much visited region since the Jacobea Route is very near. The tradition of providing accommodations to pilgrims goes back centuries ago, since the lords of the castle sheltered non residents from the Camino de Santiago (Santiago’s road).
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