Oñati and Santuario de Arantzazu

The combination of the historic university town of Oñati and the nearby sanctuary of Arantzazu forms one of the most rewarding cultural and scenic excursions in the Basque Country, concentrating exceptional architectural, artistic, and natural interest within a compact area of inland Gipuzkoa.

Oñati is a historic market town in the Udane valley, preserved in an exceptional state reflecting its former importance as the seat of the County of Oñati and home to the first university in the Basque Country — the Universidad Sancti Spiritus, founded in 1543 — whose extraordinary Plateresque Renaissance façade faces the main square. The Gothic Church of San Miguel, the Convent of Bidaurreta, and a series of noble palaces and mansions line the streets of the compact historic centre, making Oñati one of the architecturally richest small towns in the Basque Country.

Nine kilometres above Oñati, the road climbs through increasingly dramatic gorge scenery to the Santuario de Nuestra Señora de Arantzazu, a Franciscan sanctuary in a steep river gorge that has been a place of pilgrimage since the 15th century. The current church, built in the 1950s, is a landmark of 20th-century religious architecture in Spain: the façade designed by sculptor Jorge Oteiza is covered with 29 life-size apostle figures emerging from a diamond-patterned stone surface. The interior contains a remarkable collection of contemporary Basque art including reliefs by Eduardo Chillida, paintings by Néstor Basterretxea, and a striking Madonna sculpture by Remigio Mendiburu. The building was controversial on completion but is now considered a masterpiece of integration between modern art and sacred architecture.

Walking trails lead from the sanctuary into the Aizkorri-Aratz Natural Park for those seeking mountain hiking beyond the cultural visit.