An old abandoned Abbey that was originally a Romanesque church of the twelfth century thought to be linked to Benedictine monks. A retired South African and his dream of turning a dilapidated space into a welcoming site in the heart of the Camino de Santiago. A thousand-year legacy full of history, art and questions awaiting answers. They are the ingredients of a project by Neill Le Roux and his partner, Catherine Adams. A project capable of promoting passion and breathing new life into the Abbey of Esquíroz and Ilárratz.

The Abbey of Esquíroz and Ilárratz is an ancient church of medieval origin that sits on a small hill at the foot of the Pyrenees that make up the Esteríbar Valley, a few minutes by car from the Navarre town of Zubiri. Its owner, a South African living in Navarra for about a decade, has invited me to see it and to share the mysteries it holds.

The morning is cold and damp, and the grey sky serves as a frame for the stone walls that line the Abbey, but nothing obscures the brightness of the look of this man, Neill Le Roux, as he welcomes me and begins to talk about his project: "I was one of the thousands of pilgrims who walk this route of the Way of St James through Navarra every year. I fell in love with this land, its architecture, its monuments, its landscapes, and ever since I did the Camino and visited Navarra, I dreamt of someday being able to live here. Later on, when, together with my partner, we had the opportunity to buy this church from the Archdiocese of Pamplona, I realized that it would become a life project. We bought the Abbey with the aim of restoring it and for the last five years I have dedicated my time to restore it little by little. I do all the work myself and with volunteers who have contributed their time, their skills, their effort and their donations in what is undoubtedly a massive undertaking. Despite all the work we’ve already done, in many ways it feels as if it has only just begun."

From the outside the church is very beautiful, but it begins to rain in earnest and we look for shelter in the porch. It seems funny that we chose precisely this day to visit the Abbey when they announced strong winds and rains in the North. I think that sometimes instead of leaving us the option to choose, the days choose us. Neill knows this all too well.

"How did I get here? How did I get involved in this project that monopolizes my enthusiasm, my energy, my time and my money? On a project that has caused us such worry, stress and anguish for the administrative and legal procedures involved in the purchase and management of a space of this kind? Who could have imagined ten or fifteen years ago, when I was still living in Cape Town that today I would be living here in Navarra, with my partner and with my daughter, who is barely two years old? I do not know, I do not know how I got here but I do know that living in Navarra and owning the Abbey makes me happy. Navarra is unique and has a fascinating environment, with incredibly diverse fauna and flora. I love the fact that it's so easy to get out of the city and within minutes one can be in the middle of nature. I feel privileged to be able to live here knowing that this magnificent region is where our daughter will grow up".

Despite being retired due to a disability, Neill has a passionate look and an adventurous heart. He has held many professions during his life – he has been a soldier, worked in tourism, owned guesthouses in Cape Town and restored Victorian buildings in his country. He has also worked in the world of photography and has had the opportunity to meet presidents, industry magnates at international level, movie stars, Miss World, Miss Universe and numerous sports stars. "Once I was lucky enough to spend a day with Nelson Mandela, a wise and interesting man who left a deep impression on me. I often think of my hometown, Cape Town. It is a unique city, located on the southern tip of Africa. Cape town has just been voted the best city in the world for the fifth consecutive year. Sometimes I miss it, but my life is here now - I feel humbled by the history of the building we own. It is not only a great responsibility but also a privilege that we are entrusted with its repair and restoration, which is why I am willing to invest my enthusiasm and my energy in it."

The building is unique for many reasons. Architecturally, it is a church with a rectangular floor divided into three sections that was originally built in the Middle Ages, probably in the twelfth century, but was later transformed in the sixteenth century. However, the traces of history remain semi hidden in many details and have been left there for the keen observer to appreciate.

There are vestiges that suggest that the buildings origin is that of a fort, before being converted for religious purposes: "Or maybe both uses coexisted? The arrangement of the altar, the old door and the two Romanesque windows protecting the entrance to the interior of the building ... there are signs that can lead one to think of a defensive origin. Other signs seem to suggest a more pagan origin? For example, on the doorway we find a unique arched pattern of stars – possibly the only primary star decorated arch doorway in the entire St. James Way. And colours. There are traces of white, blue, red and even a dark gray almost black on the door and also inside. The truth is the mystery of the building raises interesting questions that encourage investigation".

Whether or not of pagan origin, whether or not there was a defensive use for the building, most indicators point to the church being devoted to prayer on a continuous basis and that it would have accommodated monks - possibly of the Benedictine Order. One of the experts that viewed the building suggested that the extensive use of black in the church’s original decoration may be related to this religious order.

"I have spent many hours researching the origins and the meaning of the symbols in the church. One of the curiosities of the building are that of the circular stones that appear on the floor that gives access to the temple – these are similar to those used in the Middle Ages to indicate a buildings consecration. These same symbols also appear on an ancient map of the Templar church in Rosslyn in Scotland. Many of the symbols in our church are still waiting to be deciphered but luckily we are getting help from experts in these fields and we now have a fairly accurate approximation of the origin and meaning of some of these clues that History has left us."

If the Abbey is interesting outdoors, and it seduces with every step, then indoors is not far behind. When crossing the threshold of the building you get a sensation of entering another dimension. In an almost unexplored dimension of time, you have the sense that you are in one of those few places where the hand of man has scarcely damaged the legacy of the centuries, this despite the fact the church having been plundered several times. The last pillage took place in approximately 2009 when the contents of the church and its baroque altar were removed. By doing so, a primitive painted altar was revealed. The ancient altar is extraordinary: sun signs, triangles, spirals, small circular marks of colors left by human fingers ... An inexplicable and fascinating mosaic.

"Historians that have seen it do not all agree as to what they are looking at but it’s clear that the painted altar that was under the baroque altar predate the sixteenth century. Some believe the painted altar could date from the thirteenth century but it’ll still take awhile to decipher each of the symbols that appear on it. Much of what we see in these simple drawings appears to have a dual intention. There was a period in the church’s history where some of the older religious symbols were used in order to aid the conversion of the local pagans to Christianity. We have to keep in mind that in a period where many people were illiterate, the use of simple visual symbols helped facilitate their conversion to Christianity. The sun is often associated with older religions and the spiral shells as a symbol for life. The simple triangle at the top of the altar holds the cross captive this cross is the Greek cross. It has been suggested that the triangle doesn’t represent the trinity but rather an entrance. The entrance to an eternal life perhaps? All these little signs that are painted on the grid of the altar represent the congregations that gathered here century’s ago... as I say, their message has yet to be deciphered. "

"Each new stone that recovered and every object that is discovered within these ancient walls raises new questions. All of these questions demand an answer. It is my intention to continue gathering the support of experts, historians, archaeologists, and to seek out volunteers who in the coming months can help me uncover the history of The Abbey. It’s origin; it’s uses and what it all represents. It is a daunting task that we face. My partner and I live off a single salary and we would never be able to tackle this challenge were not for the volunteers and like-minded people that have come to support our project. We hope that in the future local companies and businesses will get involved in our rehabilitation of the Abbey. "

Neill hopes to continue working on the restoration of the buildings and also to reinstating the original outdoor garden in 2018. To-date he has planted trees and plants with the aim of reaching self-sufficiency for the Abbey in the future: "We see the Abbey becoming a museum both to itself and the surrounding area. By utilizing volunteers we intend to breath new life into this beautiful space, a space filled with history that can be a reference point for pilgrims and visitors to the Camino de Santiago".

However, making that dream a reality has not been easy for Neill and his partner and this is reflected in the tone of his voice and change of expression when he talks about the obstacles and challenges that they have faced as they’ve tried to move forward with their project.

The restoration process of the Abbey has been complex since, from the beginning, Neill and Catherine have been caught up in never ending litigation from the local municipality. "We do not understand it. When we bought the building from the archbishop it was all done legally and we have been scrupulous with the whole process. We sometimes get the feeling that, once the locals saw that the old building had a new owner and it was being paid attention, it went from being a ruin which no one care about to suddenly being something to which they all laid claim. The Esteribar municipality has been litigating against us since the beginning to claim our land, because even though they have no proof, they insist that a part of it belongs to them. They believe that the Archdiocese had no right to sell us. They have litigated against Catherine and I for five years now. To date the Administrative Tribunal of the Government of Navarra has ruled against them no less than four times and yet they continue litigating. The Ombudsman, along with many other departments of the Government of Navarre have given us a tremendous amount of help but this nightmare seems to have no end. If something makes us give up this project, it will not be because of lack of funds or because the project is too big for us, it will be because the municipality will finally have broken our spirit. "

Neill has prepared tea and cappuccino coffee and despite the gloominess and grey of the day, we observe the beauty of this place from the choir balcony. “How many people have already passed through the Abbey since you were here?” I ask. His expression immediately recovers the light by remembering. "Thousands of people from many countries from all over the world, all with a history, with their own story, many totally fascinated to see what we’re doing with the Abbey. Locals from Pamplona, Madrid and Barcelona. Overseas visitors from the Americas, Australia and the Far East. People from all walks of life and of all ages. The youngest pilgrim was eight months old and the oldest so far was ninety-three. The ninety-three year old stayed and worked with us for four days. All of them enthusiastic and excited to see what is happening at the Abbey."

Nelson Mandela said: 'A winner is a dreamer who does not give up. Someone who does not think about the time he has lost, but develops a program that is already there, that is drawn for him, because it always seems impossible, until you do it. '

Perhaps Neill had to arrive at the Abbey and develop his own vital program to make the words of the Nobel Peace Prize a reality and thus achieve his dream of a universal Abbey, full of life and open to the world.