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Sanctuary of Arantzazu
Académica da Madeira » AAUMa, Iniciativas, Internacional, My Cultural Exchange, Notícias, Serviço Voluntário Europeu, Voluntários estrangeiros » Sanctuary of Arantzazu
em 8 de Fevereiro de 2019.
A great architectural, sculptural and artistic work
The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Arantzazu is a Catholic sanctuary located in the municipality of Oñate, in Gipuzkoa, Basque Country, where the Virgin of Arantzazu is venerated, the patron saint of this province who would have appeared in 1469.
It is located 750 meters above sea level, surrounded by mountains and vegetation. Its basilica, built in the 1950s, is a great architectural, sculptural and artistic work, where eminent artists with international renown have worked.
The name of the sanctuary, the place, and the Virgin are related to the legend of her appearance. It is said that a shepherd discovered a little image of the Virgin with the child in her arms, hidden among a hawthorn bush, next to a cowbell. Seeing her, she would have exclaimed: Arantzan zu?!, which in Basque means "in the hawthorns, you?!"
The history of the Catholic sanctuary is not rich in relics and documents, particularly because of the loss of a big part of the heritage in several fires between the 16th and the 19th century. But the 20th century was the one that had the most impact on the image of the sanctuary. Concerning the artistic part of the monument, this century marked a milestone in the history of the place and even in the country.
In 1950 they decided to build a new basilica. Along with the architects, some of the most important contemporary artist at the time took part in the decoration of the building: the sculptor Jorge Oteiza for the main façade, the sculptor Eduardo Chillida for the main access doors, and the painter Néstor Basterretxea for the decoration of the walls of the crypt. But in 1955 the Diocesan Commission of Sacred Art ordered to stop the works arguing that the artistic performances didn't respect the precepts of the Holy Church about the Sacred Art.
The artists had to wait until the '60s to finish their works. The most important piece, the frieze of Jorge Oteiza, was finally finished in 1969. It's a great representation of the apostles, exemplified in 14 concave sculptures. The artist didn't want to represent each apostle, but the abstract idea of apostolicity as a community open to the outside world that demands, in turn, the presence of others in a way of solidarity.
Finally, the crypt was painted in the '80s by Néstor Basterretxea, who made a collection of very modernist frescoes.
My name is Jone, I am 28 years old and I am from a city of 200,000 inhabitants, called San Sebastián, in the Basque Country, in the north of Spain. Since 2012 I have lived in France, currently in the city of Bayonne, in the French Basque area. I studied Humanities and translation, and before starting my EVS I used to work as a Basque language teacher.