Gallués / Galoze

Here, in the shadow of Alburua and beside the ever-flowing Salazar, the stone seems to have learnt to remember. In Gallués, the doorways stand in silence, as if guarding stories that need not be told aloud. The landscape does not impose itself: it allows itself to be inhabited slowly, amidst the murmur of the water and the steadfast presence of a hamlet that has withstood the passing of the centuries.

Gallués general information

The village is situated at an altitude of 637 metres, in the southern part of the Salazar Valley . Here, the landscape opens up into gentler forms, foreshadowing the transition to the pre-Pyrenean gorges, whilst the River Salazar shapes both life and the landscape. Since its establishment as an independent municipality in the 19th century, Gallués has maintained a deep connection with the valley’s traditional structure, sharing customs, history and territory through the Quiñón de Atabea. Furthermore, traces of the Salacenco dialect of Basque still linger in the local memory.

The municipality is organised into four settlements that reveal different ways of understanding the mountains:

• Gallués: this is the main village, compact and unassuming, where life revolves around the church and the stone.  
• Iciz: has a more stately character, with architecture that reflects a past of greater historical significance.  
• Izal: this is the place where rural functionality—grain, timber—becomes heritage.  
• Uscarrés: the gateway to more open landscapes, marking the transition towards the Almiradío de Navascués.  

What to see in Gallués?

Walking through Gallués is to discover how stone has shaped life.

• Parish Church of San Juan Bautista (Gallués): A building dating from the early 13th century with a simple rectangular layout. Inside, it houses a Baroque high altarpiece adapted to an organ case, flanked by monumental Atlantean figures and pieces of gold and silverwork such as the silver chalice by the silversmith Pedro Gallués.
• Izal Granary: Located in the municipality of Izal, it is the only Pyrenean-style granary preserved in perfect condition in the Salazar Valley, featuring the architectural features necessary to protect the grain from damp.
• Gothic civil architecture: The hamlets of Gallués and Iciz stand out for their late Gothic houses with semicircular doorways and mullioned windows, possibly carved by the very stonemasons who inhabited the area in the 16th century.
• Church of Our Lady of the Assumption: A Romanesque church located in the village of Uscarrés, which houses traces of ancient Gothic paintings and a tabernacle of artistic interest.