The Palace of the Kings of Navarre of Olite, also known as the Royal Palace of Olite, is a castle-palace located in the town of Olite, Navarre, Spain. From the reign of Charles III “the Noble” until the Castilian conquest of Navarre in 1512, it served as one of the principal seats of the Navarrese royal court.
A 15th-century German traveler marveled at its splendor, writing that no king possessed a more beautiful castle or palace, nor one so richly adorned with gilded rooms—its magnificence, he said, was beyond imagination.
The palace suffered severe damage in 1813 during the Napoleonic French invasion, when guerrilla leader Espoz y Mina ordered it burned to prevent French occupation. Although the church remained largely intact, much of the complex was left in ruins. Extensive restoration work began in 1937 and continued for three decades, restoring the palace’s original appearance, though much of the interior decoration and the surrounding gardens were permanently lost.
History
The complex functioned as both fortress and palace, though it was conceived primarily as a courtly residence rather than a purely military structure. Built on the remains of a Roman fortification, the earliest sections date to the reign of Sancho VII “the Strong” in the 13th century and were expanded by his successors, Theobald I and Theobald II. This early section became known as the Old Palace.
During the medieval period, the Navarrese court was itinerant, and Olite was used intermittently as a royal residence. From the late 14th to the early 16th century, however, it became the primary seat of the court. Following the annexation of Navarre by Castile in 1512, the palace entered a period of decline and neglect, later serving only as the residence of the viceroys.
Architectural Complex
The palace consists of three main parts: the Old Palace, the New Palace, and the church of Santa María la Real.
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Old Palace: Built in the 13th century in Gothic style, it was organized around a rectangular courtyard and housed royal halls and chambers. After the construction of the New Palace, it was relegated to secondary uses and eventually fell into ruin. Today, only its exterior walls and towers remain, and it now functions as a Parador hotel.
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Iglesia de Santa María la Real: A 13th-century Gothic church located between the Old and New Palaces. It features richly decorated archivolts, sculpted apostles, a cloister, and a Renaissance altarpiece attributed to Pedro de Aponte. Despite its location, it was not the royal chapel.
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New Palace: Commissioned by Charles III in the early 15th century, this expansion transformed Olite into one of the most luxurious courts in Europe. Its irregular polygonal layout includes numerous towers, royal apartments, ceremonial halls, and once-lavish interiors adorned with tapestries, stained glass, gilded ceilings, tiles, and plasterwork. French and Hispanic influences blend throughout the architecture.
Gardens and Interiors
The palace originally featured hanging gardens, orchards, and even a zoological collection including exotic animals such as lions, camels, and giraffes. A sophisticated irrigation system protected the plants, which were sheltered in winter like early greenhouses.
Notable interior spaces include the Tower of Homage, royal apartments, banquet halls, and the Mudéjar Room, the only chamber that preserves original plaster decoration. Although much of the interior splendor has been lost, the restored palace remains one of the most striking monuments of medieval royal architecture in Spain.
The “prince of this world” is understood to be Satan, also called the ruler of the power of the air, who exerts influence over the world’s godless systems.
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