Sanctuary of Our Lady of Arantzazu, Oñati, Spain

The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Arantzazu is a Franciscan sanctuary located in Oñati. The shrine is a much appreciated place among Gipuzkoans, with the Virgin of Arantzazu being the sanctuary's namesake and patron saint of the province along with Ignatius of Loyola.

The place benefits from the highland silence and peaceful atmosphere of the Aizkorri mountain range along with a good road infrastructure, so the place is frequently visited by devotees and regional and foreign tourists alike. It is located in the site where presumably the Virgin of Arantzazu appeared to the shepherd Rodrigo de Balanzategui in 1468.

The place is also a starting point for several mountains trails and circuits for hikers that provide access to the meadows of Urbia and on to the mountain range Aizkorri, to the massif Aloña and to the lands south and east of the shrine. All the trails are well signalled.

In 1950 the works for the new basilica were started, and the building was inaugurated five years later.

References:

Wikipedia

Religious sites in Spain

User Reviews

Peter “Anduain” S (2 years ago)
Stunning location and building with amazing stonework and history. Read up before you visit, fascinating.

Katie Steel (2 years ago)
We didn't go inside the sanctuary, but the architecture is interesting to look at from the outside. It's in a very scenic spot with great views. There are many hikes that start from this place. We did the accessible Gomitzegi walk, which was pleasant and very well constructed but it was hard to find the start of the walk. We eventually found a path which starts to the right of the Goiko Benta restaurant, and the official start of the accessible route was a little way on from that.

Elvira Balerdi (2 years ago)
This sanctuary is high in the mountains winding road once you get up here its very peaceful and quite you only hear birds very beautiful

Hit The Road Kat (4 years ago)
I didn't expect to see this type of architecture when it comes to Monastery. It's very different than the other ones I have seen, I liked it. Especially inside, it's very artistic.

Matilda von Sydow (5 years ago)
Interesting architecture and a nice view of the hillsides around the area. The best part was the various stained glass windows inside the church, they were really creative with great colours. And a very cute and cuddly cat. The public toilets had no seats and were pretty filthy.

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright Zvonimir Hrvoj

Historic Site of the week

Church of St Donatus

The Church of St Donatus name refers to Donatus of Zadar, who began construction on this church in the 9th century and ended it on the northeastern part of the Roman forum. It is the largest Pre-Romanesque building in Croatia.

The beginning of the building of the church was placed to the second half of the 8th century, and it is supposed to have been completed in the 9th century. The Zadar bishop and diplomat Donat (8th and 9th centuries) is credited with the building of the church. He led the representations of the Dalmatian cities to Constantinople and Charles the Great, which is why this church bears slight resemblance to Charlemagne's court chapels, especially the one in Aachen, and also to the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna. It belongs to the Pre-Romanesque architectural period.

The circular church, formerly domed, is 27 m high and is characterised by simplicity and technical primitivism.

Sanctuary of Our Lady of Arantzazu

Address

Details

More Information

Rating

Interesting Sites Nearby

User Reviews

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Finest Norman castles in Italy

Exploring the History of Northern Poland

Discovering Slovenia's Historic Wonders

Historic Site of the week

Church of St Donatus