Ancient Baptismal Fonts and Their Connection to Modern Parish Churches

Journey to the Pyrenees in Spain – Navarre Autonomous Community The Church of the Annunciation is a Catholic parish church located in Javier, a town in Navarre, Spain. It is affiliated with the Javier Monastery, where the priests of Christ lived for forty years (1971-2011). The first mention of the "monastery" or parish church dates back to 1252, when it was part of a permanent donation by Teobaldo II to the Aznárez de Sada family. This was linked to the marriage between María de Aznárez de Sada and Juan de Jaso. María later remarried, and one of her children was "the Frenchman, the future Saint Francis Xavier." On April 7, 1506, this child was born in the castle and baptized in the baptismal font, which traditionally resembles the baptismal fonts found in parish churches today. The church was originally dedicated to Santa María de la Annunciación, which is why it is still referred to as Saint Mary’s Church.