Ezprogui

The silent valley and the walls that remember

On the hillside where the valley curves, the stones of Bizkaia hold stories that time lets pass in silence. Amongst paths and ancient stone-built settlements, the memory of villages now gone persists in the landscape of the Pre-Pyrenean , like an echo that vibrates in every crumbling wall and every rural church that stands firm. Ezprogui is recognised in the silent density of its abandoned villages and in the solidity of its architecture, a territory that speaks through absence, where the past dictates the rhythm of the present scene and the vestiges of what once was mark the pulse of the valley.

Ezprogui general information

Ezprogui comprises the villages of Ayesa, Moriones and the deserted hamlet that gives the municipality its name. The administrative centre is in Ayesa, whilst Moriones, the former capital of the valley, retains its status as a dependent council. Historical records trace the territory’s origins back to the year 1059, under the name “Ezporogui”, linked to flour milling and the Monastery of Leyre. Life in this municipality extends across valleys and abandoned villages such as La Bizkaia, which has been uninhabited since 1965; its trails now form part of the Tierras de Javier Tourism Consortium, where every stone and every path speaks of an ancient way of life that still beats within.

What to see in Ezprogui?

Ezprogui whispers ancient secrets amongst churches, abandoned villages and footpaths, where the memory of the valley lives on in every stone and forest.

• Lugar de Ezprogui (abandoned village): The hamlet that gives the municipality its name is home to the church of San Juan Evangelista, a rural-style building with a linteled roof featuring exposed beams. Inside, there is a 17th-century image of Saint Helena that still retains part of its original polychromy.
• Ayesa and the church of San Andrés: This village, where the current municipal headquarters are located, has a church of medieval origin rebuilt in the 18th century. Its architecture reflects the adaptation of rural churches to the reforms of the Modern Age.
• Moriones and its administrative heritage: The former capital of the valley retains the layout of its streets and the church of San Martín, which historically housed a Gothic image of the Virgin seated with the Child (currently in the Diocesan Museum). On the road to Loya , one finds the remains of the chapel of La Magdalena, which served as a hospital for pilgrims and the sick.
• Abandoned Villages of Bizkaia: A walk through this valley offers a glimpse of the remains of settlements such as Arteta, Gardaláin, Guetadar, Julio, Loya, Sabaiza and Usumbelz. The ruins of these abandoned villages provide a visual record of the harshness and character of life in the Navarran mountains of yesteryear.
• The La Bizkaia Area: This historic territory, which has been uninhabited since the mid-1960s, is now traversed by footpaths linking the old barns and farmhouses, keeping alive the voice of a valley that has woven its forestry past into the silence of the present-day landscape.