Arch to the convent of Recoletas

Attached to one of the side facades of the building is an arch with a passageway that, over the Camino Real to Olite, connects the house with a chapel and tribune to the church of the convent of Recoletas, built by Martín Carlos de Mencos y Arbizu (1597-1669) and María Turrillos de Hebra (†1658). In the absence of descendants, the couple bequeathed all their property to the convent of Recoletas, founded by them and where they arranged his tomb, which is still preserved today, leaving his board of trustees in the hands of the Mencos.

Originally built in stone, this arch was destroyed during the Third Carlist War, when the government troops were quartered in the convent, while the house served as a hospital, to prevent it from serving as a parapet for the troops. Later rebuilt on the instructions of Don Joaquín María Mencos y Ezpeleta (1851-1936), Count of Guendulain, the new work was made of brick over a stone arch, following eclectic models, with a decoration of geometric elements that frame a central segmental arch opening.