San Adrian (tunnel)

The mountain pass was used for ages by shepherds, as evidenced by prehistoric traces of seasonal cattle migration, dolmens and burial mounds (usually small) in the area. Cattle, especially sheep, keep on grazing up to these days on the steep pastures all around the area of the cave. Place-names associated to alien cultures, such as neighbouring town Zegama or Arakama (commonplace family name in this region), claimed by some scholars to stem from Indo-European,[9] suggest that European peoples may have used this pass.

In step with the popular name, the "Roman way" (also called by locals estratea [es̺ˈtɾatea]), some point to the construction of the original roadway by the Romans, with continuous upkeep and renovation in the Middle Ages. At any rate, this stretch is not located on the important axis Bordeaux-Astorga cutting its way east to west through the Alava plains (merging point with the Tunnel Route in Salvatierra/Agurain). A Roman inscription has been found in Zegama (only two sites discovered so far in Gipuzkoa, the other one locating in the ancient Oiasso). A reference of the hermitage and pass of San Adrian in the blurred early ages is provided in Noticias Históricas (by J.A. Llorente), where the spot is identified (reasonably so, see Name) as the "Sanctam Trianam" landmark cited as establishing the southern boundaries of the bishopric of Bayonne. Early Medieval Navarrese and Castilian coins and copper buckles have been gathered in the tunnel, confirming that it was frequented in advance of the 13th century.[10] The coastal route was dangerous on account of Viking attacks and raids, while the southern roads, namely the French Way crossing Pamplona/Iruñea, Logroño and on to Burgos was subject to Muslim forays and attacks, which rendered the Alavan lands (and therefore the San Adrian tunnel route) safer and more secure, as "they have always stayed in possession of its inhabitants".[11]

After snatching the territories of Alava and Gipuzkoa from Navarre, Alfonso X encouraged the use of this stretch that connected by land Castile to Gascony through the strip extending from San Sebastian to Irun. With a view to strengthening both trade and military grip in the region, the king founded in 1256 the towns of Salvatierra (Agurain), Segura and Villafranca (Ordizia) in various spots of the way,[12] so becoming popular with pilgrims, that could find there shelter and safety.[13]

Despite pilgrimage shift to the flatter, safer and more convenient French Way, the San Adrian tunnel road kept its profile and was much in use as a European route in the 15th, 16th and 17th century; it is worth remembering that the former was in Navarrese territory (definite Castilian conquest of Navarre in 1521), so Castilian kings continued to foster the tunnel route. At this period, evidence and descriptions about the route given by pilgrims and other users coming from Europe grow more frequent.

The San Adrian mount and pass are "rugged and difficult for horses", comments the cartographer Jan Janssonius in his Novus Atlas. "The passengers usually carve their names on the thick stones or the rocks, so there are recorded many names with the date of the year they crossed the roughness of these mountains", he adds. In approx. 1567, Jorge Braun conjures up the inside of the tunnel: the nice inn and the good suppers offered to the pilgrims, especially to those who brought money along, and the fodder supplied to horses, no matter if the travellers were devoid of money. In 1572, J.B. Venturino travelled in the retinue of the patriarch of Alexandria, who crossed the tunnel northwards. The cavern "is dark and frightening", observes, but there he also mentions the hermitage and the house of the governor, responsible for watching the pass, as havens of preaching and safety guarantee for travellers.[14] According to tradition, king Enrique IV of Castile (ruling 1454–1474) and later sister and queen Isabel I of Castile crossed the tunnel. Legend has it, on his route from Germany to Spain emperor Charles V first dismounted from the horse at this cave.

Since the Middle Ages the tunnel has been a point where tolls are paid on account of its border position. Yet usually at night, when the gate was shut, smugglers skip the tunnel by mounting up the rock North of the tunnel through a very narrow path called Ochoa Arrate. At the time, highwaymen frequenting the area are dreaded by pilgrims and travellers alike, who were not acquainted with the wild surroundings where local bandits could easily stalk and find a hideout. The care provided inside the tunnel is welcome. Many remember in their travel memoirs the cosy atmosphere found at the inn, the pilgrims singing and the "fat woman" serving them. Above the North entrance of the tunnel, the fortress watches and protects the pass, a building that may hold 100 soldiers, as reported by a traveller in the 17th century. Much appreciated water sprung out of the stone wall in the tunnel, as told by a Franciscan in 1633.

Meanwhile, other routes grow gradually more important at the expense of the stretch corresponding to the San Adrian tunnel. "The San Adrian pass is good only for people on horse or on foot, since the carriage way exiting Vitoria goes through Salinas, Mondragon, Oñate and Villareal [from Gipuzkoa]", explains the arguably French Basque traveller J.C. Santoyo in 1612. However, this stretch continues to be widely used up to the late 18th century, when the new King's Highway from Madrid to France is built in 1765 and traffic shifts, so spurring the definite decay of the San Adrian tunnel way.