The great south gate is the most monumental gate of the sanctuary. The great succession of archivolts directs our gaze directly towards the central tympanum. On the lintel we observe a lively Last Supper, starring Christ in the centre consoling St. John on his lap. On the other side of the table, squatting, Judas takes the best fish of the banquet. This follows a very traditional iconography in Gothic sculpture. The liveliness of the scene is surprising, with the apostles conversing in pairs before a table well stocked with loaves of bread and fish.

On the far right, the presence of a rooster and a bowl carved in the archivolt is striking. Several interpretations have been proposed. One of these interpretations is in relation to St. Peter. According to the Gospel of Luke, during the Supper Jesus first warns Peter: «… see that Satan has claimed you, to sift you like wheat». Then, in light of the Apostle’s disbelief, he predicts that «the cock will not crow today before you deny three times having known me». The amphora could allude to the storage of wheat, the roster to his denial.

This friendly and naturalistic vision of the representations likewise stars in the visit of the Three Wise Men to Jesus under the arch of the tympanum. We are actually contemplating two scenes which establish a very suggestive parallelism. To our left a smiling Balthazar who points out the direction of the star to Gaspar. Kneeling and with the crown in his right hand, Melchior offers Jesus one of the gifts, which, however, does not capture his attention. The Child, standing on his mother’s thigh, continues to observe the conversation between Gaspar and Balthazar. Mary, crowned and resting her feet on the dragon’s back, smiles at Melchior. The forms are sleek, smooth and naturalistic. The expressions, especially that of the Child, are beautifully humanised. The spirit of Gothic art is on full display.

To our right, in symmetry with Melchior, a pilgrim prays before the Virgin of Ujué. He is not wearing a crown or any other element which could identify him. His luxurious clothing can be seen in the buttoned hilts; nevertheless, he is covered with a thick traveling cloak. Who is this character who makes a compositional pair with King Melchior? Historiography has proposed several hypotheses. The most common hypothesis identifies this anonymous pilgrim with another king: it would be Charles II of Evreux, king of Navarre between 1349 and 1387. He was the monarch who most supported the sanctuary in the Gothic period centuries. During the visit we will have the opportunity to talk about him on several occasions. His biography is strongly tied to that of the sanctuary.

It is worth stopping for a moment to observe the capitals of the jambs. If we start on the left a beautiful grape harvest scene, with the collection of the grapes and their transportation in the baskets of a mule can be contemplated. After this commences the cycle of the Birth and Childhood of Christ, a traditional complement to the Epiphany of the tympanum. The Annunciation, the Visitation, the Nativity and the Annunciation to the shepherds follow one another. On the tympanum’s base the story is interrupted; it should continue with the Massacre of the Innocents, the Flight into Egypt and the Presentation in the Temple.

On the right side, however, the themes and style of execution change. The religious cycle is transformed into an equally interesting secular cycle. It seems to allude to the teaching of the Trivium. The three characters who read and write in the first scene would represent grammar; the two deep in conversation, to dialectics; and the next three who, seated on dragons, feed or caress these, should allude to the persuasion inherent to Rhetoric.

The following figures follow one after the other with a different common thread. We see St. Peter, two musicians, Eve and Adam after eating the forbidden apple (notice that, as is traditional in Gothic style, Adam put his hand to his neck while choking), St. Paul, and another saint with his head in his hands. It seems that the presence of Adam and Eve between St. Peter and St. Paul, in the context of a façade dedicated to the birth of Christ, may allude to St. Paul’s sentence «It is for freedom that Christ has set us free» in relation to original sin and the liberation that is born from the New Testament and the new ecclesia. The set is completed by two magnificent fights of soldiers against amphisbaena and ecclesiastic against griffin.

It is time to cross the threshold and enter the interior of the temple. When we are located in the middle of the gothic nave, press number 3.