Its combination of history and geography have endowed Orreaga- Roncesvalles with a significant artistic foundation. Its architecture, whose original function was to shelter walkers and pilgrims, coalesced in buildings of great quality, especially the Collegiate church from the 13th century. Some, such as the 14th century cloister and the building known as Itzandeguia, either totally or partially disappeared and were rebuilt. Others, such as the chapels of San Agustín, Espíritu Santo and Santiago, have resisted the passage of time or have been refurbished. The Priory house and its extension, which houses the Museum and Library, the House of the Beneficiados and the Hospital are more contemporary. The Roncesvalles Museum houses a variety of paintings and sculptures as well as valuable examples of silverwork.

The urban centre

As an urban development, Roncesvalles has three focal points that constitute the centre of a continuous space. The first is the access esplanade which has the Priory House and Museum-Library as a backdrop. The second nucleus of the collegiate complex is hidden by this first line of buildings. It is an almost enclosed space which forms a large rectangular square accessed by a small tunnel with a depressed vault. Laid out over various levels, the upper part is occupied by the Houses of the Beneficiados. The third area is another rectangular patio enclosed by houses where the Hospital stands, which was built at the beginning of the 19th century and today functions as a youth hostel.

Other public buildings include the old mill, built at the end of the 18th century and totally renovated as a tourist information office, and the simple dwellings next to the Beneficiados.

Notable amongst the buildings of an eminently public nature is the hostelry or inn, which is the first building you come across on arriving from Burguete and which was built for this purpose in 1612.