The Castle of Xavier stands on a hill in Navarre, about 52 km east of Pamplona. The article says it was built in the 10th century, though the text places the first enclosure in the 11th century. In the 13th century, two polygonal bodies and two flanking towers were added. The Tower of Homage, or San Miguel Tower, is the oldest structure and may have Muslim remains in its foundations.
Around 1223, Sancho VII of Navarre took the castle. In 1516, Cardinal Cisneros ordered its demolition, and the Tower of Homage was reduced by half. It was the family seat of the Azpilikueta family, the family of Francis Xavier.
In the 1890s the Duquesa de Villahermosa donated it to the Jesuits. The architect Angel Goicoechea designed the adjacent basilica. Today it is a museum, a chapel and the site of a pilgrimage each early March.
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