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History
 All began on a hill nearby, ‘El Castellar’. Ruins and remains of all times speak of its antiquity and historical importance. Its location and geography make it an impregnable site, a far-reaching observatory, and a natural and political border. For a long time it served as a Roman ‘castrum’; the Romans had also built down in the valley the ‘Via Romana’ and a bridge to cross the Aragon river. Later in history the Castelar endured and suffered the struggle with the ‘Moors’ (Arab Muslims), who most likely were the ones to put a brutal end to its long history.
The Moorish invasion of Spain began in 711. By 732 they had crossed the Pyrenees, but were soon defeated by the Franks at Poitiers-Tours, and driven back to ‘Ishbaniya’ (the Roman Hispania, the present Spain) *The Muslims played havoc and brought destruction all over Navarre. A wed of defences and towers were built everywhere. It was probably in this connection that a tower was erected down here, on the huge rock found at this spot. The tower didn’t have even a gate to enter; a rope ladder was handed down to climb up to it. Its Cyclopean masonry with large irregular blocks is typical of the Moorish castles of the IX-X century.
XI cent. When the Moors had been driven away south of the river Ebro, the restoration work began. At the tower it was felt that an enclosing stockade would proved safety and living space for more people. By the end of the XII cent. a high stone wall had been built around the tower, which provided better defence and shelter at both sides of the tower. It was the first precinct of the castle, and it was nearer to the river and to the fields for farming.
King Sancho VII, the strong one, the winner of the chains-ensign of Navarre, in his endeavour to make his kingdom boundaries strong and secure, buys the castle of ‘Savierr’ in 1223. He reinforces it, and rounds off the last of the triple defensive enclosures. Not having children of his own, his nephew, the French Theobald I succeeds him, but he doesn’t seem to be very fond of this lonely place; in 1251 he exchanges his estate of “Essabierr” for the one belonging to his vassal Martin Aznariz de Sada.
The maternal grandmother of St. Francis Xavier would be born into that family about 200 years later, and was mistress of Javier when a fratricidal war between two Navarrese factions all but destroyed the village in 1456.Her daughter, Maria de Azpilicueta, will get married to John de Jasso in 1483.
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