The Royal Collegiate Church of Roncesvalles was built in the French Gothic style. King Sancho VII built this church in the 13th century as part of the hospital’s facilities in Roncesvalles; its purpose was to provide succour to pilgrims on the Way of Saint James after crossing the Pyrenees. Highlights include the cloister, the chapel of San Agustín, the chapel of Santiago and the crypt, consisting of a straight section of barrel vault and a pentagonal apse. The walls and vaults are covered in mural paintings dating from the 13th century. The art treasures of the Royal collegiate church are housed in a museum in one of the rooms in the church, and include a particularly interesting collection of precious metalwork, exhibited in six display cases. Also outstanding is a chess set belonging to the Emperor Charlemagne, a Renaissance silver chest and a silver-plated wooden statue of the Virgin and Child. There is also a selection of paintings, books and sculptures.
References:The Beckov castle stands on a steep 50 m tall rock in the village Beckov. The dominance of the rock and impression of invincibility it gaves, challenged our ancestors to make use of these assets. The result is a remarkable harmony between the natural setting and architecture.
The castle first mentioned in 1200 was originally owned by the King and later, at the end of the 13th century it fell in hands of Matúš Èák. Its owners alternated - at the end of the 14th century the family of Stibor of Stiborice bought it.
The next owners, the Bánffys who adapted the Gothic castle to the Renaissance residence, improved its fortifications preventing the Turks from conquering it at the end of the 16th century. When Bánffys died out, the castle was owned by several noble families. It fell in decay after fire in 1729.
The history of the castle is the subject of different legends.