Since its foundation the church has been dedicated to the invocation of Santa María de la Asunción (Saint Mary of the Assumption),[1][2] whose feast is celebrated on August, 15.

[3] It is possible that, due to a metonymy phenomenon, the ownership of the building has been associated with the titular image of the temple, Santa María la Real.

Arigita had initially requested to return the "primitive title" of Santa María la Real de Pamplona.

(from the Spanish quote «Respecto al primer punto conviene puntualizar que el título primitivo fue Santa María de Pamplona.

The floorplan is cruciform with ambulatory, a central nave and four shorter aisles, all covered by partially polycromed rib vault.

The sculpture of the interior includes the tomb of Charles III of Navarre and Eleanor of Castile, by Jehan Lome de Tournai [es] (1419), and the image of Royal Saint Mary, a Romanesque woodcarved silverplated sculpture.

The Barbazan chapel—named after the Pamplonese bishop buried there, Arnaldo de Barbazán—is covered by a Gothic eight-rib vault.

The so-called 'Precious Door' gives access to the ancient canons' dormitory and shows a complete sculptural story of the Virgin Mary's life.