The parish of San Nicolás, which dates from the 12th century, was not created just to offer religious services but, above all, to serve as a military and defensive bastion of the people who lived in the borough of the same name. These people were involved in endless disputes and skirmishes with the other two boroughs in the (Navarrería and San Saturnino). In 1222, during one of these attacks a fire burned the old Romanesque church-fortress to the ground, so it was necessary to build a new one, which was consecrated in 1231. Located in the Old Part between the Plaza de San Nicolás, calle San Miguel and the Paseo de Sarasate, its thick walls and railings, and the only one of its three watchtowers that is still standing are witness to its conflictive past. Venture inside the church, a beautiful example of Gothic, which contains a large Baroque organ, the biggest in Pamplona. On leaving the church you will find yourself in the heart of the medieval city at a crossroads of lively streets full of traditional shops and handicraft centres, a high density of bars and, in winter, warmed by the braziers of chestnut seller.
