What to see Interior artwork
Interior artwork
One of the main characteristics of the 16th century, a period of thriving activity, is the large number of new buildings and, in particular, rich altarpieces, something that attracted well-known French and Castilian artists and craftsmen to this area.
The best examples can be found in Oñati and Bergara. In Oñati, a visit must be made to La Piedad Chapel, located inside the Parish Church of San Miguel. Rodrigo Mercado, a local man who was at one time the president of the Royal Chancellery of Granada and later Bishop of Avila, oversaw the construction of this chapel that is today a testimony of the artistic trends of the 16th century. This early 
Renaissance gem is made up of the marble mausoleum of the Bishop, a work by Castilian artist, Diego de Siloe, who is without a doubt one of the best architects and sculptors of this period; there are also spectacular plateresque ironworks that close off the space; not to mention the splendid wooden altarpiece itself. This was designed by Gaspar de Tordesillas, from Valladolid and portrays scenes of the Passion of Jesus and the life of Mary through delightful decoration based on candelieri grotesques, angel heads, worshipers and winged monsters. Nearby, in the University building, there is another chapel that houses another work of art of the 16th century: an altarpiece dedicated to Saint Michael and the Holy Spirit, which is predominated by very rich and original polychrome ornamentation and sculpture, all attributed to French sculptor, Pierres Picart. Also in Oñati, a visit must be made to the 16th century altarpiece of the convent of the Holy Trinity in Bidaurreta.
In Bergara, the Parish Church of San Pedro must not be missed, with its lavish plateresque altarpiece from the first half of the 16th century. It is richly decorated with exquisite images of the Four Evangelists. The Parish Church of Santa Marina, also in Bergara, is considered to be a paradigm of columnar temples of this epoch. Inside, its vaults are decorated with recently discovered Renaissance paintings, as well as an impressive series of baroque altarpieces
In the district of Urola Alto, the parish church of Itsaso has an interesting altarpiece of San Bartolomé, a work attributed to Juan de Lizarazu in the 16th century and in the town of Ezkio, the Renaissance altarpiece of San Miguel.
In Urretxu, a visit to the parish church of San Martín de Tours is also highly recommended to view the vaults of the side naves, the 4 domes of the central nave and the surprising tuscan order capitals, which were made of wood in 1570.
Our route can be concluded with a visit to the parish church of San Sebastián de Soreasu in Azpeitia, to see the plateresque sepulcher- from around 1520- with the meditative figure of the Bishop of Tuy, Don Martín de Zurbano, and in Azkoitia, visiting the parish church of Santa Maria la Real, in which we suggest a careful study of the side altarpiece of Saint John the Baptist, from the 16th century, and the central altarpiece of Nuestra Señora la Asunción, built in the 17th century.
"The mausoleum of Bishop Don Rodrigo Mercado de Zuazola is in the style of the great funerary monuments of the 16th century, made by nobles and prelates inside the churches to assure a shorter path to salvation and to benefit from the frequency of religious services, as well as an ostentation of the worldly power of the deceased figure."
M. Fornells. La Universidad de Oñati y el Renacimiento
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