The basilica step by step

A church made in Arantzazu for a small image

Some facts:

The church was built between 1950-55, although it was completed in 1993.
The architects are Luis Laorga and Francisco Javier Saénz de Oiza (31 and 32 years old).
Sculptor: Jorge Oteiza
Doors: Eduardo Chillida
Stained glass windows and penitential chapel: Javier Álvarez de Eulate
Altarpiece: Lucio Muñoz
Sanctuary: Xabier Egaña
Crypt: Nestor Basterretxea

Some facts:

The church was built between 1950-55, although it was completed in 1993.
The architects are Luis Laorga and Francisco Javier Saénz de Oiza (31 and 32 years old).
Sculptor: Jorge Oteiza
Doors: Eduardo Chillida
Stained glass windows and penitential chapel: Javier Álvarez de Eulate
Altarpiece: Lucio Muñoz
Sanctuary: Xabier Egaña
Crypt: Nestor Basterretxea

Upon opening the door, one encounters the small image of the Virgin, which becomes very present. Everything is done for Her. Here, what we said at the beginning is fulfilled: It is a church made in Arantzazu for a small image.
A feeling of grandeur, harmony, and well-being takes hold of the visitor.
The church does not intend to convey any message. It wants to create space. The desire of the architect Saénz de Oiza is for the visitor to feel comfortable inside.
"I feel good. Nothing is imposed on me," was the expression of a young Hindu after standing silently for a prolonged period.






Step 7:
Walking forward.

It's good for the visitor to take slow steps forward, but always looking upwards. They will observe that an invisible curtain is raised until they encounter the light from the top part of the altarpiece. There is a very strong tension that always points to a "beyond" of what is seen: (1929) "life is more than this life". "Up there, there is always more light".
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Step 8:
The altarpiece by Lucio Muñoz

We can continue forward and approach the altarpiece, which measures 622 square meters.

There are no figures. It's simply ambient. And that manages to focus the gaze on the image of the Virgin.

It was painted by the Madrid-born Lucio Muñoz (1929) in 1962. It is carved in Guinea wood and painted. Its model is preserved in the Vatican Museum of Modern Art.

It won first prize in a competition where 42 painters and sculptors from all over Spain participated. They wanted to express life in a new way.

Lucio Muñoz aims for the pilgrim who enters the church not to feel in a different environment from the one that surrounded them before entering.

The source of inspiration is the landscape of Arantzazu, especially the surroundings of the sanctuary. It is not difficult to find places that could have inspired the great Lucio Muñoz.


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Step 9:
The stained glass windows of the transept

Now that we are in the transept of the basilica, you can look up, left and right, and you will find 4 windows on each side: 4 stained glass windows that soften, with their blue-green color, those huge masonry walls. They were necessary. 

They were made by a friar who lived in this Fraternity of Arantzazu: Xabier Álvarez de Eulate, born in San Sebastián (1919). They were made in Metz (France) in 1956.

The set of the 4 windows has the shape of a four-leaf clover. The ones on the left are more figurative. The windows on the right are more abstract and project more light, especially in winter, because the sun moves on that side.

They are highly valued by critics.

If, at any moment, you turn your gaze to the main altar, I'll point out the detail of the tabernacle, which is a high mountain palace: the piece of furniture is by Salvador Victoria and the interior panels are by Lucio Muñoz.

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Step 10:
Looking back

Turning back, we contemplate the two choirs of the church and the wooden vault, which, according to Jorge Oteiza, shapes the basilica as if it were the inverted nave of the Apostles. He would add: "covered with the wood found on the mountain, and the color of the friar's habit."

The windows, all in a row, are one of the secrets of the church. They let in enough light to create a space that invites introspection.

The organ is the same one the previous church had, only enriched by Casa Amezua in 1955. It's not an exceptional organ, but it fills the church very well.

Protecting the lower choir, we see some lattice screens that the architect Saénz de Oiza often used because he didn't like enclosed spaces. He wanted the spaces to breathe. You can also see them in the sanctuary and in the reconciliation chapel.

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Step 11:
Visit to the Reconciliation Chapel

We need to find it. In the side niches on the left, there is one (the fifth starting from the entrance) that has an oak door. We open it and find ourselves in an elongated chapel with a pastel-yellow color. It has seats facing towards the center.

It was designed for experiencing forgiveness, but it also serves as a daytime chapel. That's why it is equipped with a small altar for weekday masses.

It was painted in 1993 by Xabier Álvarez de Eulate, who is the author of the church's stained glass windows. 

There are three motifs easy to distinguish:

  • A maternity scene on the left.

  • A Pieta in the center.

  • And a resurrected figure at the head.

The painter aims to capture the three moments of the life of Jesus' mother: the joyful, the painful, and the glorious moments.

Step 12:In front of the Virgin of Arantzazu

We must ascend to where She is, which is not always possible. If you're lucky to coincide with a visit from a group, you'll be able to appreciate the small image of Andra Mari. We must thank the architects for this last detail of being able to feel Her so close.

She is the image that a shepherd found in this place on June 11, 1468.

Scholars say it's from the 13th century: Gothic. It is classified among the images that receive the designation of "Seat of Wisdom".

It has never been known who could have left her here. But she has been the protagonist of this place for over 550 years.

It's made of stone.

Small, but very beautiful. She knows it and smiles.

Polychrome. Crowned with hair. Graceful.

Tradition says she was found right here, at the bottom of the ravine.

Carbon 14 studies confirm that the walls of the primitive church are from 1493-2005.

Elle fut trouvée par Rodrigo de Balzategi, un berger d’Oñati qui gardait quelques chèvres dans ces rochers.

The Seat of Wisdom: She is seated on a seat...

Small (36 cm). Possibly made for a hall or a hermitage.

Very attentive eyes and ears perked up: a mother who looks and listens.

In her right hand, she presents an apple, a symbol of wisdom in the West. And the child also has another apple between his hand and knee so that it doesn't escape him, and it's very ugly. They did it on purpose to highlight the beauty of the mother.

She is on a thornbush, and from it hangs a bell which, according to tradition, is the one that rang when the shepherd approached and found Her.

If you want to pray in silence, She is accustomed to listening to pleas and granting favors. Thousands of pilgrims have done so over 500 years.

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Step 12:
In front of the Virgin of Arantzazu

We must ascend to where She is, which is not always possible. If you're lucky to coincide with a visit from a group, you'll be able to appreciate the small image of Andra Mari.
We must thank the architects for this last detail of being able to feel Her so close.

She is the image that a shepherd found in this place on June 11, 1468.

Scholars say it's from the 13th century: Gothic. It is classified among the images that receive the designation of "Seat of Wisdom".

It has never been known who could have left her here. But she has been the protagonist of this place for over 550 years.

It's made of stone.

Small, but very beautiful. She knows it and smiles.

Polychrome. Crowned with hair. Graceful.

Tradition says she was found right here, at the bottom of the ravine.

Carbon 14 studies confirm that the walls of the primitive church are from 1493-2005.

It was found by a shepherd: Rodrigo de Balzategi, from Oñati, who was tending some goats along these cliffs.

The Seat of Wisdom: She is seated on a seat...

Small (36 cm). Possibly made for a hall or a hermitage.

Very attentive eyes and ears perked up: a mother who looks and listens.

In her right hand, she presents an apple, a symbol of wisdom in the West. And the child also has another apple between his hand and knee so that it doesn't escape him, and it's very ugly. They did it on purpose to highlight the beauty of the mother.

She is on a thornbush, and from it hangs a bell which, according to tradition, is the one that rang when the shepherd approached and found Her.

If you want to pray in silence, She is accustomed to listening to pleas and granting favors. Thousands of pilgrims have done so over 500 years.

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Step 13:
Exiting the chamber

Note: In case you haven't been able to see the Image up close, what is explained below can be mostly seen when leaving the church through the front door. Just follow the reverse path.

That said, let's continue.

If you exit directly onto the street, you have five details to see:

  • In the exit hall, on the right, there is a stained glass window by Eulate that is highly valued by critics.

  • Right there, you also have two semicircular arches that lead into the interior of the church. You bid farewell to her.

  • Exiting outside, to the right, you have some stairs leading down to the church. In them, the tower peaks, a wavy brown roof, and a stained glass window closing an arch are very present, creating a blurred effect of light.

  • And if you are interested in arches, in the left corridor, you have an arcade that will remind you of Gaudí's Park Güell.

  • And if you descend to the church, in front of the entrance doors, to the left, you will encounter a blue stained glass window representing a cross that is broken by the light. Let me explain:

    If you mentally connect the blue tiles in both directions, you will have a blue cross. But the author, Xabier Álvarez de Eulate, wants to express that the cross is not the end of life because it has been broken by the light. "Death has been conquered by Life."

    This place is one of the many quirks that the basilica holds. And it's because the church is very sober, but it's made with a lot of love.